With little fanfare, legislative leaders releases a copy of the bill to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Global Warming. Use these links to access:
+ Bill draft
+ Index to the bill
+ Short overview
+ Detailed summary
From an article by Chad Dally in The Daily Press (Ashland):
More than 100 scientists and researchers have called on Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to support cuts in emissions and other policies to address climate change.
“Controlling carbon emissions will allow for Wisconsin and the United States to take full advantage of the clean renewable resources and energy efficient technologies that are available today,” the letter states. “A workable federal policy to combat global warming will also encourage researchers, investors, and businesses to accelerate development and deployment of next generation energy technologies.”
The House passed a climate bill earlier this year, but it is on the back burner while the Senate works through health care reform legislation. Wisconsin Democrats Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl last month signed a letter to Senate leaders urging them to tweak the permitting process under a cap-and-trade system to avoid a potential increase in energy costs. The letter from Wisconsin scientists was sent the day after the opening of the world climate summit in Copenhagen, with nearly 200 countries negotiating financing, emissions cuts and other factors involved with global climate change.
The letter also was issued on the same day the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its “endangerment” finding for greenhouse gases, ruling carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouses gases as a public health threat and giving the agency at least some regulatory authority outside of Congress.
Professor Jonathon Patz of UW-Madison, and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said last week’s endangerment finding signals a stance from the EPA that climate change is a public health risk, and the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, therefore, should be regulated as a public health measure
“People think about the polar bears and think about the ice caps, but public health impacts from climate change are significant,” he said.
From an article by Chad Dally in The Daily Press (Ashland):
More than 100 scientists and researchers have called on Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to support cuts in emissions and other policies to address climate change.
“Controlling carbon emissions will allow for Wisconsin and the United States to take full advantage of the clean renewable resources and energy efficient technologies that are available today,” the letter states. “A workable federal policy to combat global warming will also encourage researchers, investors, and businesses to accelerate development and deployment of next generation energy technologies.”
The House passed a climate bill earlier this year, but it is on the back burner while the Senate works through health care reform legislation. Wisconsin Democrats Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl last month signed a letter to Senate leaders urging them to tweak the permitting process under a cap-and-trade system to avoid a potential increase in energy costs. The letter from Wisconsin scientists was sent the day after the opening of the world climate summit in Copenhagen, with nearly 200 countries negotiating financing, emissions cuts and other factors involved with global climate change.
The letter also was issued on the same day the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its “endangerment” finding for greenhouse gases, ruling carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouses gases as a public health threat and giving the agency at least some regulatory authority outside of Congress.
Professor Jonathon Patz of UW-Madison, and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said last week’s endangerment finding signals a stance from the EPA that climate change is a public health risk, and the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, therefore, should be regulated as a public health measure
“People think about the polar bears and think about the ice caps, but public health impacts from climate change are significant,” he said.
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Even if a global deal can’t be reached in Copenhagen, actions by states such as Wisconsin can make a big difference in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
When Gov. Jim Doyle arrives in Copenhagen this week to address the international conference on climate change, he can and should stress the need for action on an international scale, but he can also show the importance of states, countries and individuals doing what they can – acting locally – to reduce the human impact on global warming.
Wisconsin has been moving forward, largely under the leadership of Doyle, several key legislators and others, such as Tia Nelson and Roy Thilly, co-chairs of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming, which made 63 policy recommendations when it concluded its work last year. The next step is to implement some of those recommendations in the form of a bill, a draft of which was unveiled last week.
The bill seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the state while at the same time growing a green economy through investments in energy conservation and alternative fuels.
Doyle made the right point recently when he said, “States that stick their head in the sand and pretend this isn’t happening are states that five, 10, 15 years from now are going to be looking around saying, ‘How come we don’t have a piece of that economy?’ ”
As Journal Sentinel reporters Tom Content and Lee Bergquist noted in an article Friday, the draft released Thursday calls for greater use of renewable power, opens the door to construction of nuclear power plants and lays the groundwork for how Wisconsin addresses global warming.
From an article by Tom Content and Lee Bergquist in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A draft of major legislation released Thursday calls for greater use of renewable power, opens the door to construction of nuclear power plants and lays the groundwork for how Wisconsin addresses global warming.
The legislation sets the stage for a major debate in Madison, with proponents touting the promise of thousands of new jobs and opponents warning that new controls will damage the state’s already weak manufacturing sector.
The bill would dramatically change the state’s sources of energy, mandating that 25% of electricity come from wind, solar, biomass and other renewable sources by 2025.
Wisconsin is heavily dependent on coal, a key source of greenhouse gases that most climate scientists say is a leading contributor to rising global temperatures.
The legislation also would tighten building codes to increase energy efficiency, impose restrictions on engine idling of freight trucks and adopt vehicle emissions standards similar to California and other states.
These link connect to:
+ Index to the bill
+ Short overview
+ Detailed summary