Sept. 6, 2006: Minnesota Eyes California Global Warming Move

A California plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is getting lots of attention in Minnesota.

Minnesota News Connection
Sept. 6, 2006

Minnesota Eyes California Global Warming Move

St. Paul, MN - Minnesota environmentalists...and lawmakers...say they're studying a new California plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions 25 percent by 2020. A similar bill failed to pass the state legislature here this year, but supporters say it's picking up steam, and they'll try again next year.

A California plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is getting attention in Minnesota. Policy makers in the nation's most populous state have reached bipartisan agreement to reduce carbon dioxide pollution by 25 percent, by 2020. Michael Noble with Minnesota-based Fresh Energy says it's the latest example of the growing national awareness that we need to reduce global warming pollution.

"The over-reliance of fossil fuels is bad for the national security, bad for our economy, and bad for the environment. Let's take a page from California, and get moving."

Noble says there are a lots of ways we can cut global warming pollution, including developing alternatives to coal-fired plants, such as wind energy, and increasing auto fuel mileage. And, he's enthused by the growing popularity of hybrid vehicles, which reduce pollution and lessen dependence on imported oil.

Noble says Minnesota should put efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions on the front burner.

"Global warming pollution is changing our forestry, changing agriculture, changing our very way of life. We want to have a stable Minnesota economy and a stable and protected Minnesota environment."

A bill this year in the Minnesota legislature to require utilities to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020 passed the Senate, but wasn't taken up in the House. Supporters say they'll try again next year.