WATCHING WASHINGTON IN SEARCH OF SOLUTIONS

With Patrick Crow The Clinton administration's long awaited climate change action plan calls for voluntary actions - not the mandates industry had feared - to cut carbon dioxide emissions. The goal is to limit the threat of global warming by cutting U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases about 100 million metric tons/year to 1990's level of 1.462 billion by 2000.

Oct. 25, 1993

3 min read

The Clinton administration's long awaited climate change action plan calls for voluntary actions - not the mandates industry had feared - to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

The goal is to limit the threat of global warming by cutting U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases about 100 million metric tons/year to 1990's level of 1.462 billion by 2000.

The 50 part plan would promote home and appliance energy efficiency, plant trees, encourage public transportation, reduce output of gases with global warming potential, recover methane emissions from landfills, and spur gas use.

As part of the program, 61 electric utilities pledged to lower their carbon dioxide emissions by switching to lower carbon fuels and take various other efficiency measures.

The plan would cost the federal government $1.9 billion, all taken from other programs. Private firms would spend $60 billion but recover more than that in energy savings, the administration said.

REACTION

Environmental groups complained the plan's voluntary approach is inadequate and at least should require tougher auto fuel efficiency standards as a way to cut emissions.

Energy Sec. Hazel O'Leary responded, "Voluntary is not a dirty word. If this doesn't work, we would go back and find out how to get it through mandates."

O'Leary who once set petroleum prices and allocations as head of DOE's Economic Regulatory Administration, said, "If anyone knows how to do that (use government mandates) I know how, and I know it is not done artfully."

The American Petroleum Institute supported the Clinton plan. "There is no compelling reason to embark on a mandatory program now," it said.

The Natural Gas Supply Association agreed, saying its members do not believe dire global warming theories are supported by good science.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The global warming plan dovetails with another of the administration's pet projects, sustainable development.

The President's Council on Sustainable Development, which met in Washington last week, is seeking policies to permit the U.S. to 11 meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Kenneth Derr, Chevron Corp. chairman and CEO, heads the council's energy task force and has it on a moderate course.

The task force plans to study U.S. energy use, draft a "bold and practical vision of what a sustainable energy picture would look like," then propose policy initiatives in 1995 the administration could promote.

This high principled program sounds very good. But once again, the Clinton team could save a lot of time by reading the Bush administration's 1991 blueprint for a national energy strategy.

However, like most new administrations, Clinton team members believe only they can find right answers to old problems.