Midwest Pledge to Fight Climate Warming

Midwest Pledge to Fight Climate Warming



November 2007 
 Capping a two-day summit 
on climate change and energy security hosted by Wisconsin Governor Jim 
Doyle, a Democrat, and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, 10 
Midwestern leaders signed the Midwest Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction 
Accord. 
States signing the accord are Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota 
and Wisconsin as well as the observer states Indiana, Ohio and South 
Dakota, and the Canadian province of Manitoba, also an observer. 
The accord will serve as a regional strategy to achieve energy security 
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Greenhouse 
gases are emitted by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and 
coal. 
Today's accord commits the states to set emissions reductions targets and 
timeframes and calls for the establishment of a regional cap-and-trade 
system. 
"This is a momentous day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin," said Governor Doyle, 
chair of the Midwestern Governors Association. "Leaders from across the 
Midwest are charting a new energy direction for our citizens, our nation, 
and our world, creating high-paying jobs for our citizens and building a 
cleaner and safer world for generations to come." 
"Our strong manufacturing base and rich agricultural industries, along 
with the wealth of resources in our vast northern forests and our 
world-leading research universities, position the Midwest to become the 
Saudi Arabia of renewable energy," he said. 
In Wisconsin, Governor Doyle created the Wisconsin Energy Independence 
Fund, a new effort to invest nearly $150 million over the next 10 years in 
the production and promotion of renewable energy. 
Doyle declared that Wisconsin will get 25 percent of its electrical power 
and 25 percent of its transportation fuel from renewable resources by 
2025. 
As chair of the National Governor’s Association, Governor Pawlenty is 
leading the "Securing a Clean Energy Future" initiative that seeks cleaner 
domestic fuels, advanced electricity generation, improved efficiency and 
accelerated energy research and development. 
Additionally, North Dakota and Nebraska joined the other nine states in 
establishing an Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform to 
advance specific goals on energy efficiency, renewables, and biofuels.
The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord builds on existing 
greenhouse gas reduction efforts in each state as well as existing 
regional efforts. 
The new Midwest regional effort eventually will include more states, said 
Governor Doyle. Current emission levels in these states will require more 
aggressive efforts than in other regions, he said. 
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said the accord is a step away 
from a future based on "dirty coal." 
"Today the Heartland went from being at the center of America’s global 
warming problem to a region eagerly taking bold, visionary action," he 
said. 
"The Midwest is currently the epicenter of the coal rush so it is 
particularly important that these Midwestern governors move to take 
aggressive action to reduce global warming pollution," said Pope. 
The Sierra Club leader praised the October decision of the Kansas 
government to deny the air quality permit for the two proposed 
700-megawatt generators at the Sunflower Electric Power Corporation plant 
near Holcomb. 
Announcing the decision, Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment said, "I believe it would be irresponsible to 
ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and 
other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our 
environment and health if we do nothing." 
Pope said today, "Kansas' recent decision to reject a future wedded to 
dirty coal sets a strong precedent that we very much hope will be followed 
by other states in the region. The Midwest stands to gain over 289,000 new 
manufacturing jobs if it makes a real commitment to renewable energy - a 
far better deal for the environment and the economy than anything on offer 
from Big Coal." 

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