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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Utilities: Gas Emission Caps Are a Government Issue
Associated Press
SANTA FE — Utilities and energy producers in New Mexico oppose a petition that asks the state Environmental Improvement Board to set a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, oil and gas production and other sources.
The board set a hearing for April 6 to consider arguments about its authority to regulate such emissions.
The New Mexico Environmental Law Center, on behalf of a four-year-old organization called New Energy Economy, on Monday petitioned the board to adopt regulations that would, by 2020, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels.
Public Service Company of New Mexico, the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and the Association for Commerce and Industry oppose the petition.
PNM believes Congress and the state Legislature should address such emissions and that any solution should be market-based and analyze how changes would affect customers, PNM spokeswoman Cathy Garber said. The utility, New Mexico's largest, also questions whether the EIB has the authority to regulate the emissions, she said.
The state Environment Department believes the board "does have the legal authority to regulate emissions out of smoke stacks in New Mexico," said Sandra Ely, environment and energy policy coordinator for the department.
Pending a decision on whether the EIB can consider the issue, the board also set an Aug. 3 hearing to consider the request for a statewide cap.
In September, seven Western states — including New Mexico — and four Canadian provinces proposed a comprehensive program to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, manufacturers and vehicles. The Western Climate Initiative would establish a regional market to trade carbon emissions and cover more polluters than other regional plans adopted in the United States and Canada.
The initiative calls for each state and province to create its own trading scheme that complies with the regional guidelines. The idea is to let industries that emit greenhouse gases buy and sell credits for their emissions. Businesses that cannot cut their emissions enough can buy the right to pollute from other, cleaner companies.
The New Energy Economy petition simply calls for a cap and doesn't mention trading or other market means to encourage that goal, said Jim Norton, director of the Environment Department's Environmental Protection Division.
"It's a crucial time," said physician John Fogarty, who heads New Energy Economy. "We're already beginning to see changes from climate change. Without urgent action, scientists are saying we will move into the next catastrophic stage."
Norton said state officials agree action is critical.
Climate change "is a serious global problem that has to be addressed. For us in New Mexico, hotter temperatures will reduce snowpack and (mean) less precipitation. We're already seeing more extreme weather," he said.
"If we don't get a handle on this problem, it is seriously going to affect the economy and the ecology of New Mexico and the rest of the world."
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of more than 1,200 international scientists, concluded developed nations must reduce global warming pollution by at least 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid catastrophic changes, New Energy Economy said.
Copyright ©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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