Global Warming In the News

Editorial

Rhode Island gets tough on power plants At the same time the federal government is pressuring scientists to downplay global warming, it is encouraging that the state of Rhode Island is acknowledging the problem - and, better yet, doing something about it.

Rhode Island will join its fellow New England states in a regional program to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri announced Tuesday. The announcement, made during Carcieri's State of the State address, marks a reversal for the Republican governor, who previously balked at signing the deal because it likely will raise electricity bills.

On Tuesday, he said he was confident any increase could be offset by credits from other states. We are glad Carcieri has come around, as he has on other important environmental issues (albeit with some prodding), including controlling auto emissions.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is the nation's first multi-state program to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. It requires power plants to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions 10 percent by 2019. Carbon dioxide is a key pollutant scientists say contributes to global warming.

"Gov. Carcieri's announcement has national and international significance in the battle against global warming, but Rhode Islanders don't need to look further than our own coastline and the waters of Narragansett Bay to understand the importance of this decision," Matt Auten, a spokesman for Environment Rhode Island, said in a prepared statement.

The organization had lobbied Carcieri to join the agreement, as did other environmental groups, the state Senate - which passed a resolution last week urging Carcieri to sign on to the pact - members of the House of Representatives and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts.

The General Assembly will need to approve legislation to implement the program, which seems likely to happen. "This is a huge victory for Rhode Island's environment," Auten said.

Earlier this week, we celebrated another victory in the battle against air pollution, after a federal court determined the Environmental Protection Agency's 2004 Phase II Rule violated the Clean Air Act. The challenge was brought by six states, led by Rhode Island. In essence, the court said the EPA must force power plants - such as the Brayton Point Power Station in nearby Somerset, Mass. - to protect fish and other aquatic life, even if it's expensive to do so.

The EPA's 2004 ruling gave consideration to the cost of improving technologies. The Bush administration has seemed particularly intent on rolling back environmental requirements for power plants, which typically are heavy polluters - and frequently are owned by companies that are large campaign contributors.

It comes as no surprise to hear scientists testify this week that White House officials also have been micromanaging the government's climate programs and closely controlling what scientists have been allowed to tell the public. And it wasn't very long ago that the previous chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., called global warming a hoax.

But it is clear to most people that air pollution presents both imminent and future dangers - and that we need to do something about it. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is one thing.

The Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act is another. The legislation, re-introduced by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and co-sponsored by a number of his colleagues, including Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both D-R.I., would reduce U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 - a 15 percent reduction from today's levels - and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

No matter what side of the aisle you're on, that is a worthy goal.

- Feb. 1, 2007