Governor’s adviser: Arizona should retain carbon trade policy

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Michael Anable, policy adviser on Natural Resources to Gov. Jan Brewer, is recommending the state continue participation in the Western Climate Initiative that would attempt to reduce western United States and Canadian emissions to a level 15 percent below 2005 emissions in the next 11 years.

Seven states and four Canadian provinces are part of WCI which is managed by the Western Governors Association.

Brewer indicated earlier this year in the Arizona Capitol Times that she was inclined to continue the state’s participation that former Gov. Janet Napolitano began.

“My advice is that we participate, however there are different thoughts on the subject from ‘don’t participate’ to ‘modify our commitment,’ ” Anable said. “My hope is that within a week or so I can give the governor all the concepts surrounding the carbon cap and trade issues that she can include in an executive order on the WCI.”

Anable said he realizes the House Environment Committee voted 3-2 on Tuesday to support a bill to prohibit state participation in climate initiative.

“And we have to walk a careful path,” he said. “If the state goes too far to control carbon we will probably be sued. I am not the one to say, for example, whether the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has the authority to implement a cap and trade policy, which they have (in the past) stated they have. However, we should have our ear to where this country is going federally and be prepared to comply with national carbon policy. I would hate to wake up a year from now and say, ‘We have to start over; so what do we do now?’ ”

California, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Montana are the other states participating in initiative.

The Western Climate Initiative will be working though 2010 to establish a methodology to evaluate economic mans to implement carbon cap and trade policies, to design member carbon markets for trading, to determine methodologies for measuring and monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, establish individual state carbon cap goals, and determine state by state goals to control electrical generation carbon emissions in all 11 states and provinces.

The Obama administration has stated it will be moving rapidly on an interagency strategy for a Federal carbon cap and marketing policy to be implementing before the end of 2009 in spite of the economic recession. Such a policy would provide a “floor” or minimal requirement that all states would be required to meet to control carbon and other climate changing greenhouse gas emissions.

Dick Camp is Wick Communications Co.’s environmental liaison. Sierra Vista-based Wick Communications Co. owns the Herald/Review.