Doyle calls for 15-year phase-in on carbon emission limits

From an article by Lee Bergquist and Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Madison — Gov. Jim Doyle said that the United States should move forward with federal cap-and-trade legislation if international climate negotiators meeting in Denmark are unable to reach agreement on it.

In a teleconference from Copenhagen where he is attending the world climate talks, Doyle said that coal-dependent states such as Wisconsin would need a phase-in period to meet limits on carbon emissions such as those included in a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June.

Doyle suggested a period of about 15 years in which states such as Wisconsin would cut emissions below targeted levels without penalty. Doyle said Wisconsin has identified about 15 companies that emit 25,000 metric tons or more yearly of greenhouse gases that would be affected.

The House bill calls for a reduction of carbon emissions of 17% by 2020 from 2005 levels. By 2050, emissions must be reduced by 80% or more.

A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October concluded that Midwestern utilities, which rely more on coal as a source of power than utilities on the East and West coasts, would be penalized more than other states. The Midwest utilities are lobbying for changes in the global warming bill pending in the U.S. Senate. The report was prepared after the Midwest utilities, including Alliant Energy Corp. of Madison and Wisconsin Energy Corp. of Milwaukee, raised concerns about the House proposal, saying the way credits for utilities would be divvied up would penalize the Midwest.