Bill urging exit from climate initiative passes
KSL.com, February 24th, 2009 [here]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a resolution that calls on Gov. Jon Huntsman to get Utah out of the Western Climate Initiative, a coalition formed to roll back greenhouse-gas emissions.
House Resolution 3, sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, passed the Utah House 51-9. The resolution is nonbinding, but sends Huntsman a message.
WCI seeks to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 15 percent by 2020. Six western states and three Canadian provinces are members of WCI.
Noel says he doesn’t believe global warming is human-caused. He says that capping emissions will hurt Utah’s coal-fired power plants and the overall state economy.
The bill now goes to the Utah Senate.
Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley says WCI gives Utah a seat at the table during important discussions of issues that could affect the state’s future.