Today the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Environment voted in favor of prohibiting the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) from continuing to participate in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). If enacted, this would remove Arizona from its role as one of the prominent partners within the regional cap-and-trade program. Environmental advocates within the state expressed disappointment by the Committee vote.
“Without strong measures to reduce global warming in place, Arizona’s global warming pollution and problems will only grow,” said Walter Sainsbury, program associate with Environment Arizona. “By removing the ADEQ from having a role within the WCI, Arizona would become a spectator instead of a key player shaping regional global warming policy.”
The WCI was launched in February of 2007, when governors from Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Washington decided that regional strategies needed to be developed in order to address climate change. The WCI is centered around a cap-and-trade system in which emission levels are capped at a certain level. Emitters exceeding this level must buy, or trade, credits for the excess pollution.
“It’s ridiculous for Arizona to not have its leading environmental agency address the number one environmental issue facing Arizona,” continued Sandy Bahr, Conservation Outreach Director with the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We need the people with the background, the information and the expertise that will represent us well. Researchers tell us that the southwest, and Arizona especially, will be affected more than other parts of the country and we need to be a part of the discussion to address this problem.”
“Arizona can benefit immensely from a system like the WCI,” concluded Sainsbury. “The WCI will enable Arizona to fight climate change on a regional level as pollution does not stop at our borders. Leaving out the ADEQ from the discussion would only make it difficult for Arizona to capitalize on this opportunity. We urge the Arizona House to defeat this measure.”
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More information can be found at www.environmentarizona.org
