WCI Bills Fail in Montana

Legislation in Montana to have the state study participating in the Western Climate Initiative and require industries to report greenhouse gas emissions has failed this year. The bills did not advance by a crucial March 31 legislative deadline. In the state Senate, SJ 24, by Senator Bob Hawks, a Democrat, failed to make it out of the Senate Energy & Telecommunications Committee. The bill would have launched a state study of how participating in the WCI’s proposed regional carbon cap-and-trade program “could impact Montana’s economy and environment.” “This action is now critical because other states already are well organized,” said Hawks. He pointed out at a committee hearing on his measure that unless the state becomes a player in global warming policy it likely will play a diminishing role in providing energy to populous West Coast states. “They are our neighbors, they use our energy, and if we don’t communicate with them we will be written off,” said Hawks. While Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer would prefer to see federal global warming legislation, he wants to keep a hand in WCI and maintain a place at the table, according to Paul Cartwright, an aide. However, the state Senate panel did not move the bill, persuaded by skeptics of climate change science and concerns about how coal power plants might be affected. Lawmakers must consider the impacts of WCI participation on the state’s energy industry, cautioned Mark Lambrecht, regulatory affairs manager for PPL, which operates two coal plants in the state. Clarice Ryan, a member of Montanans for Multiple Use, told lawmakers that she was scared the proposed study would be “more political science than true science.” Also dead, is HB 254 by Democratic Representative Mike Phillips. It would have required industries to report their greenhouse gas emissions and pay a reporting fee to the state. Emissions monitoring and reporting is a cornerstone of state participation in WCI. With the failure of the Montana bills, it appears that lawmakers in four of the seven Western states that are part of WCI are balking at going forward with a regional carbon cap-and-trade program. Along with Montana, Arizona and Utah appear to be headed for the exit. Pending legislation in Washington has been watered down (Circuit, March 20, 2009).

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WCI Bills Fail in Montana

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