A Path Forward: Reducing GHGs in the US using Existing Federal Authorities & State Actions

A Side Event Hosted by The World Resources Institute and The Climate Registry

As the U.S. Congress has struggled to pass comprehensive climate change legislation, observers in the United States and abroad have asked what GHG reductions are possible under existing federal laws and through state action. Can the U.S. meet the Obama Administration’s Copenhagen commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 using the regulatory tools already available to federal agencies, together with announced actions at the state level? Even if congressional action is ultimately necessary to put the U.S. on a long-term low-carbon path and aid in the transition to a low-carbon economy, can federal agencies and state governments get the U.S. started down that path? Authors of a new study on this topic and key policymakers discuss this possibility.

Moderator: Denise Sheehan, The Climate Registry

Panelists:
Franz Litz, World Resources Institute
Doug Scott, State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Mary Nichols, State of California
Jared Snyder, State of New York