Car mad California - unlikely champions of the environment

A group with a purpose...

California regulators approved rules Thursday (Jan. 24, 2007) banning power companies from buying electricity from high-polluting sources, including most out-of-state coal-burning plants. The rules are aimed at reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming.

"It represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address the challenge of climate change," said Michael Peevey, president of the California Public Utilities Commission.

The commission voted 4-0 to prohibit utilities and other energy providers from entering into long-term contracts with sources that emit more carbon dioxide than a modern natural gas plant. The new standard is aimed at encouraging investment in cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar, while discouraging the use of coal and other high-polluting fuels. Coal is cheap and plentiful but releases high levels of carbon dioxide, a gas blamed for trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere and raising temperatures worldwide.

Last year Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a landmark global warming bill into law that required the commission to adopt emissions standards for utilities. The Global Warming Solutions Act , a law created under Assembly Bill 32, requires the state to cut greenhouse gas pollution 25 percent by 2020. Earlier this month, the governor signed an executive order, known as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, requiring fuel suppliers to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in transportation vehicles by at least 10 percent by the year 2020. Administration officials estimate the move will save 3.2 billion gallons of gasoline a year, and drive investments in alternative and renewable fuel technology into the state. Officials say they are targeting fuel because transportation contributes to 41 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

California is making good environmental decisions and other state need to follow their lead and adopt similar rules. To reduce manmade global warming, the culprit for our climate change crises, we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gasses. Limiting carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and dirty coal power is a step in our fight to save the planet. Hopefully it will also stimulate renewable fuel alternatives providing cleaner green power, such as wind and solar energy sources.

You can join this fight by writing media outlets and your state and Federal elected officials. Tell them to follow California's lead and adopt similar environmental laws. Use the following website to contact your elected leadership right now: http://www.congress.org.

It's time to wake up and do something about the Climate Change Crises happening as you read this… Start living your life with PURPOSE - People United Rightly Protecting Our Sacred Earth… Begin with signing our petition to Congress making "Climate Change, Global Warming and Saving the Planet" this country's top priority:

Global Warming Petition (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/890510358)
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