Aug 18 2008

A Borderline Proposal

On Friday, Governor Schwarzenegger announced at the 26th Annual Border Governors' Conference, that the State of California signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PG&E, the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) and the six Mexican Border States that would allow PG&E's ClimateSmart program to contract for greenhouse gas emission reduction projects in Mexico, pending CCAR protocols and CPUC approval. (Deep breath) So...

Basically, PG&E customers will now benefit from a larger range of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects and PG&E will benefit from the opportunity to lead a global problem with a more global solution, thereby driving innovation in the voluntary carbon market, both in California and beyond.

And, the implications for PG&E's strategy on California's AB 32, the first mandatory greenhouse gas reduction law in the country?

Since the ClimateSmart program is a voluntary program for our customers, all of the greenhouse gas emission reductions are retired on behalf of our customers and will not, in fact, be used to meet regulatory requirements under AB 32 or any other regulation. However, it is important to note that the learnings gleaned through this proposal will help further the work of CCAR, the State and Border governors to develop stringent protocols that can be enforced in a mandatory carbon market.

If we are to adequately address the global issue of climate change, it will continue to be important to engage our global environmental partners -- across borders.

Posted by: Katie Romans | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
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  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
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  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
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