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Problem Drivers and Indicators • 13

health; equity between regulated entities; electricity reliability; con-
formance with other environmental laws; and ensuring that the rules
do not disproportionately impact low-income communities.
• Put together a list of discrete, early-action measures by July 1, 2007,
that can be implemented before January 1, 2010, and adopt such
measures. 10

Western Climate Initiative (WCI)
The Western Climate Initiative is a partnership, a commitment between
several western U.S. states and Canadian provinces, including Washington,
Oregon, California, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona, along with
British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Observers include
Idaho, Colorado, Alaska, Kansas, Nevada, and Wyoming, as well as
Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and the Mexican states of Baja California,
Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. It is a “coop-
erative effort to address climate change and implement a joint strategy to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” 11

The Eastern States Standard

Eleven eastern states—Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode
Island, and Vermont—have signed a letter of intent “to reduce greenhouse
emissions by developing a regional low fuel standard.” As stated, this
12
agreement commits the states to seek alternative-fueled vehicles using
hydrogen fuel cells, electricity, and biodiesel, for instance. These states
are already members of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc.
(RGGI, Inc.), “a non-profit corporation created to support development
and implementation of the 10 participating states’ CO Budget Trading
2
Programs.” It is an interesting program in that it is a market-based “cap-
13
and-trade” approach. There will be an established multistate emissions
budget (cap). According to RGGI, Inc., that cap will gradually decrease
until it is 10% less than at the start. It will require electric power gen-
erators to hold allowance covering their CO emissions. There will be a
2
market-based auction to support “low-carbon-intensity” solutions (like
solar and wind power) and employ offsets to help companies meet their
compliance obligations.