03/01/2007 GAAS:172:07 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Gov. Schwarzenegger Highlights California’s Leadership in Fighting Climate Change in Letter to U.S. Senate
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent the following letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer for today’s Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing at the U.S. Capitol:
February 28, 2007
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
Chair
Committee on Environment and Public Works
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Boxer,
Thank you for allowing me to provide this written statement to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for its very important hearing on State and Local Perspectives on Global Warming. I regret that my schedule does not permit me to testify in person.
I applaud your leadership on global climate change, and look forward to working with you, with members of the Committee, and with other members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives to find solutions to this important problem.
Global climate change is one of the most critical environmental and political challenges of our time. The debate is over, the science is in, and the time to act is now. Only by putting aside our political differences and bringing all parties and stakeholders together will we truly be able to confront this crisis.
California has a history of finding innovative and effective solutions to important problems. In the area of energy efficiency, while the rest of the United States has experienced a 50 percent increase in per capita energy consumption over the past thirty years, California has kept its per capita consumption flat. Our state has achieved this while experiencing record economic growth. We have done so through government policies that set aggressive targets for efficiency, and then allow the creativity of the market to meet those targets. California is bringing this same leadership and approach to the fight against global climate change.
As you know, last year in California we developed the world’s most comprehensive approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By enacting the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, California put itself on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. This law will achieve a 25 percent reduction from today’s emissions levels through regulation, best management practices, incentives and market-based compliance mechanisms.
It is essential that we continue to develop market-based approaches to reducing carbon emissions. I urge Congress to develop a national market-based cap and trade program that helps
solve this growing threat to our planet and builds a forward-looking economic sector for our
nation. This approach harnesses the power of the marketplace by giving financial value to carbon allowances and creating a financial incentive for emissions reductions.
In California, we are continuing to develop comprehensive strategies to address the problem. One recent example is the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which I enacted by Executive Order earlier this year. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard will reduce California’s dependence on oil and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. I urge Congress to adopt a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Reliance on one resource to fuel our economy is unsustainable and is a risk to our nation’s energy security. Today, the United States and California are dependent on oil for 97 percent and 96 percent of our respective transportation fuel needs. Moreover, transportation is the top source of greenhouse gases in California and the second largest source in the nation. A national Low Carbon Fuel Standard would help break our unhealthy dependence on foreign oil and dramatically improve our environment.
During British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visit to California for our climate change summit last year, he spoke to me about the importance of individual U.S. states showing leadership to counteract the perception that Americans are not willing to join the climate change fight. Less than a year later, states are taking action on climate change. As one example, I signed an agreement earlier this week with four other western governors that commits our states to developing a regional reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions, and a market for achieving that reduction target.
State efforts like California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, its Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and the five-state agreement to address carbon emissions not only make a difference in fighting global climate change, but also demonstrate the strong popular support for action that exists throughout the country. These efforts send a powerful message to the federal government and to the world, and they help our nation both recognize what must be done to confront the climate crisis and find the political will to do so. Because state initiatives have, and continue, to play such a critical role in advancing the fight against global climate change, I trust that whatever work Congress does on this issue will recognize and support – and not impede – those important state efforts.
I know that you and members of your Committee have long been on the front lines of the fight against global climate change. Thank you for your continued efforts to highlight the importance of this issue, and to seek real and lasting solutions. I hope that you will never hesitate to call on me as you move forward with this important work.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
