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Summary
Members and activists helped the Union of Concerned Scientists make progress on several important climate initiatives during the summer of 2006. Together, we played key roles in advancing federal climate legislation and continue to assist in the development of market-based emissions reductions in the Northeast. In California, UCS activists also helped score a major victory with a landmark global warming bill.
House Appropriations Committee Passes Global Warming Amendment
In May 2006, Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA) authored a global warming provision that the House Appropriations Committee passed as part of the Interior appropriations bill (which funds the Environmental Protection Agency as well as other agencies). The Dicks provision was a Sense of the Congress resolution recognizing the need to “slow, stop and reverse the growth” of global warming emissions. UCS activists sent nearly 15,000 letters to their representatives in support of the resolution. Although the provision was removed from the final bill for procedural reasons, it did provide an opportunity for debate on the issue in the U.S. House.
Congress Proposes Global Warming Emission Reduction Target
Scientific evidence suggests we must prevent global average temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst effects of global warming. To stay below this threshold, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide must stabilize at 450 parts per million.
To that end, Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Senators Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have introduced two science-backed bills that would require a gradual reduction in global warming emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The 80 percent goal is consistent with the emission reduction targets announced by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and six New England states. UCS activists have sent more than 20,000 letters in support of the bills.
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Moves Forward
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the first in the nation plan for mandatory emissions reductions, has reached a key milestone on the road to implementation. In mid-August, eight northeastern states released the "model rule," a regulation that proposes in detail how the states should limit global warming emissions from power plants. Each state—Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont—must now set up its own law for implementing the required emissions reductions.
In Massachusetts, the state legislature is taking steps to bring the state back into RGGI after Governor Mitt Romney withdrew from the agreement at the last minute. A bill was introduced into the state legislature earlier this year that would have mandated that Massachusetts join RGGI. Thanks in part to the efforts of UCS activists, a majority of members in both chambers have endorsed the bill—84 house members and 27 senate members.
However, efforts to bring Massachusetts back into RGGI have come to a halt for the remainder of the year. The bill did not come up for a vote, and the state legislative session has recessed for the year. With majority support in both chambers, we expect to continue to build support and to bring Massachusetts back into RGGI next year.
RGGI is an important component of the effort to avoid the most dangerous consequences of a changing climate. Since the RGGI agreement pertains only to the northeast region, however, UCS will also work to leverage this historic pact into strong federal action that will reduce our national heat-trapping emissions. | 
