Gov. Blagojevich sets state global warming goal         

Task force to set course for climate change mitigation

[FEB. 13, 2007]  CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich will announce a goal of reducing Illinois' emissions of the pollutants that cause global warming back to 1990 levels by 2020 and by 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. These targets will be announced at the kickoff for the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group, created by the governor when he issued Executive Order 06-11 last October. Environment Illinois will serve on that task force to advise the administration on how to achieve these goals.

"Three cheers for Governor Blagojevich for taking on the most serious environmental challenge of our generation," said Rebecca Stanfield, state director of Environment Illinois. "Now we need to make sure we have a good system in place to actually achieve this goal," she continued.

In the absence of a federal policy, states and cities are establishing their own plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. For example, California has passed legislation to return emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Eleven states have adopted automobile standards for global warming pollution. Eight northeastern states have set emission caps for their electric power industry to reduce by 10 percent by 2019.

"Our state will be better positioned to face the challenge of global warming if we begin now, and not wait until a federal regime is adopted," said Stanfield. "That is why other governors are setting targets, and in many cases making them mandatory, so that we see real progress toward those targets sooner rather than later."

Last week Environment Illinois was joined by state faith leaders, environmental leaders and legislative leaders to release a new report. The report, called "A Blueprint for Action; Policy Options to Reduce Illinois' Contribution to Global Warming," details 13 policy strategies, which, combined, can cut Illinois's global warming emissions by as much as 25 percent by 2025. The recommendations include setting standards for automobile emissions, increasing our use of renewable energy, and setting energy-efficiency standards and programs to reduce the amount of energy we need to power our homes and businesses.

"Most of the things we can do now to meet the 2020 goals we should be doing anyway," said Stanfield. "These policies save consumers money, create jobs, reduce harmful air pollution, and they accomplish all that while helping us stop global warming," she concluded.

(Text from news release received from Environment Illinois)