State Action
The Georgetown Climate Center works collaboratively with states and regional climate initiatives to advance effective climate, adaptation, and transportation policies, and to strengthen state and federal climate partnerships.
The Center serves as the convener of the Governors’ Energy and Climate Coalition and the Transportation and Climate Initiative and helps facilitate ongoing information sharing among the nation's three regional climate initiatives.
News and Updates
On December 16, 2010, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved state cap-and-trade regulation along with several other climate and energy measures. The regulation sets a cap on greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to a 15 percent reduction by 2020, compared to current levels. It starts by covering major industrial sources of emissions and electric utilities in 2012, with distributors of transportation fuels, natural gas, and other fuels phasing in in 2015. Details on the program can be found here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=170.
Georgetown Climate Center Executive Director Vicki Arroyo served on California’s Economic and Allocation...
Agency heads from the 11 states that make up the Transportation and Climate Initiative approved the group’s first work plan in October.
The plan focuses on four key areas: 1) the development of clean vehicles and fuels, including the creation of a regional electric vehicle network, 2) promoting the development of sustainable communities, 3) implementing communication and information technology throughout the region and 4) improving the efficiency of freight transportation.
More than 90 policy makers and subject area experts from participating states are now engaged in the effort.
The Transportation and Climate Initiative was launched in June 2010 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in...
Despite the Senate’s decision to move forward without a comprehensive climate and energy bill, states are continuing their work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This week the seven states and four Canadian provinces that make up the Western Climate Initiative released their recommendations for the design of cap-and-trade regulations in the region.
Last month, the Georgetown Climate Center also helped 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states (and the District of Columbia) launch the ...
Despite the Senate’s decision to move forward without a comprehensive climate and energy bill, states are continuing their work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This week the seven states and four Canadian provinces that make up the Western Climate Initiative released their recommendations for the design of cap-and-trade regulations in the region.
Last month, the Georgetown Climate Center also helped 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states (and the District of Columbia) launch the Transportation and Climate Initiative to develop policies and projects to reduce greenhouse gas...
The report, completed with assistance from the Georgetown Climate Center and other partners, contains important recommendations for developing resilience in the face of the challenges posed by a changing climate.
Given issues like water shortages that are already affecting much of the West, Governors recognized the need for collaboration in 2009 when the WGA charged a work group to develop the report and committed to adopting policies that support the integration of adaptation science throughout the region.
The 2009 resolution, “Supporting the Integration of Climate Change Adaptation Science in the West”, also identified three specific goals for further discussion, which...
Eleven U.S. states and the District of Columbia announced today the creation of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) – a new regional transportation approach that will help states build the clean energy economy of the future.
The group, which includes top environment, energy and transportation officials from participating states, will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize the transportation system’s reliance on high-carbon fuels, promote sustainable growth and address the challenges of vehicle-miles traveled.
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia will participate, help shape the initiative’s work plan and...
As ClimateWire points out in a story today, there are close governor’s races in Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois this year.
Most of the current leadership in those states has sought to boost renewable energy and helped create the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord in 2007, which calls for a regional cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
From ClimateWire:
"It matters a lot what happens in these states, particularly since we don't know what the federal government is going to do in terms of climate," said Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown University State-Federal Climate Resource...
