Like the chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association,
Montana's
Brian Schweitzer, Republican Minnesota Gov.
Tim Pawlenty now says he thinks cap-and-trade is a bad idea.
Like the chairman of the Democratic Governor's
Association, Montana's
Brian Schweitzer, Republican Minnesota Gov.
Tim Pawlenty now says he thinks cap-and-trade is a bad idea.
In
an interview Wednesday night with New Hampshire Watchdog
reporter Grant Bosse, Pawlenty said the scheme was harmful to the
economy and jobs, but he still holds to the idea that carbon
dioxide is "pollution:"
Pawlenty, who until recently was a cheerleader
for state- and
regional-level greenhouse gas limitations, unfortunately is like
Montana's Schweitzer in another way. While they both have spoken
against cap-and-trade, they are each keeping their respective
states as participants in such agreements on a regional scale.
Montana is part of the
Western Climate Initiative, which is
run by the Western Governors Association, yet Schweitzer's
made no move to match his actions with his rhetoric.
Establish greenhouse gas reduction targets and timeframes
consistent with MGA member states’ targets;
Develop a market-based and multi-sector cap-and-trade
mechanism to help achieve those reduction targets;
Establish a system to enable tracking, management, and
crediting for entities that reduce greenhouse gas
emissions; and
Develop and implement additional steps as needed to achieve
the reduction targets, such as a low-carbon fuel
standards and regional incentives and funding mechanisms.
If that doesn't sound like the economy- and jobs-killer that
likely presidential candidate Pawlenty says he now opposes, I
don't know what does. So when will he withdraw Minnesota from
this commitment?
