Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
US Policy
-
New Things, Bad Things,
Good Things
u
.
Introduction
The Kyoto Protocol is the instrument in effect today
that tries to de
first steps in a worldwide regime
to reduce greenhouse gas emission. It was signed in
ne the
and entered into force in
when it was rati
ed
by
% of the signatories. The United States never rati-
fied 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
. Here I limit myself to
the US story.
The opening of this chapter in the
first edition said,
“
As
of this writing (mid
), the United States does not yet
have a national policy on emissions reductions.
”
It still
does not have one in early
. 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 de
nition of renewable varies among
them. Some of the states
RPS are quite aggressive while
others are mild. Some states already have signi
'
cant frac-
tions of their energy supply from emission-free sources,
