SACRAMENTO /California Newswire/ — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final ruling that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are a public health threat: “For years California has taken the lead in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions and taken action against the threat they pose to the health and safety of our communities. Climate change is real and it is welcome news to see that the U.S. EPA is taking its head out of the sand and moving towards addressing this threat at the national level.”
He continued: “This endangerment finding paves the way for cost-effective, common-sense measures like a national greenhouse gas standard for cars modeled on California’s groundbreaking standard. But even more importantly, I look forward to our national partners passing a comprehensive market-based cap-and-trade program, much like California’s, to ensure real reductions in emissions nationwide. Today’s announcement further strengthens America’s negotiating hand in Copenhagen to show we’re doing what it takes to address climate change and we’re serious about claiming leadership in the 21st Century clean energy economy.”
