16 - US Policy – New Things, Bad Things, Good Things

Summary

Introduction

The Kyoto Protocol is the instrument in effect today that tries to define the first steps in a worldwide regime to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It was signed in 1997 and entered into force in 2005 when it was ratified by 55% of the signatories. The United States never ratified it, but nonetheless has been trying for years to get something done on the national level, as is to be expected of the nation that is the richest in the world and has the second highest amount of greenhouse gas emission. The world story follows in Chapter 17. Here I limit myself to the US story.

The opening of this chapter in the first edition said, “As of this writing (mid 2009), the United States does not yet have a national policy on emissions reductions.” It still does not have one in early 2014. Though a national policy is needed, none has been forthcoming from Washington, and the states have stepped into the breach. Thirty-six states now have some sort of emission control standards for energy; Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in some, though the definition of renewable varies among them. Some of the states’ RPS are quite aggressive while others are mild. Some states already have significant fractions of their energy supply from emission-free sources, Idaho, for example, with its large component of hydropower (70% of electricity in 2012). Regional collections of states have agreed on standards. What exists now is a patchwork of attempts to solve what is an international problem, and a national program is needed that places such a program in a world context. On the Federal stage, there has been a partisan divide, with the Democrats for action and the Republicans against. Among the states there has been no such divide, and the regional compacts include states with Democratic and Republican governors. Emission reductions were never a partisan issue out in the country, only in Washington.