The Western Climate Initiative

In 2007 the three West Coast states were joined by New Mexico, Arizona and Utah along with two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Manitoba, to form the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). Early this year the WCI was expanded yet again to include Montana and Quebec. WCI partners are required to use an overall regional goal to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases, develop a multi-sector, market-based mechanism to achieve the goal and establish a cross border greenhouse gas registry. In August 2007, the Governors and Premiers adopted a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the region 15 % below 2005 levels by 2020 from all major sources.

This regional target is not as strong as our state goals so Oregon stakeholders, including Oregon Environmental Council, are urging Oregon to stick to its own aggressive path toward carbon reduction.

Since August 2007 the WCI partners have been working out the design for a regional cap and trade system. They are expected to complete the design in August 2008, after which each state and province will develop its own strategy for meeting the regional agreement and implementing the cap and trade system, which in most cases will require new rulemaking or legislation in 2009. Full implementation of the regional market-based plan will likely occur by 2012.

OEC works with a large, diverse coalition of regional climate advocates known as the Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN) to ensure that the final WCI plan meets the 15% emissions goal and sets the region on a course for continuing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020. Our second priority is to ensure that Oregon follows through on its commitment to the other WCI partners and implements the regional cap and trade system in the 2009 Legislative session.

For more resources, check out Sightline Institute's excellent coverage of the WCI.

You can get involved:

Although the timeline is now short, there is still opportunity to comment on and influence the WCI process. If your organization wants to express support for a strong regional climate plan, please consider signing onto the set of principles created by WeCAN, called West First: Creating Climate Policy to Ensure Success for the West [pdf]. If your community wants to get involved in this exciting campaign, please contact Sallie Schullinger-Krause.