Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord

The Midwestern Governors Association, the organization that created the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord

The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (Midwestern Accord) is a regional agreement by six governors of states in the US Midwest who are members of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) and the Premier of one Canadian province to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. Signatories to the Accord are the US states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba.^[1] Observers of the Accord are Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota, as well as the Canadian Province of Ontario.

The Midwestern Accord was the fourth tier of the MGA Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Summit Platform, signed on November 15, 2007. It establishes the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program^[1], which aims to:

• establish greenhouse gas reduction targets and time frames consistent with signing states' targets;
• develop a market-based and multi-sector cap-and-trade mechanism to help achieve those reduction targets;
• establish a system to enable tracking, management, and crediting for entities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
• develop and implement additional steps as needed to achieve the reduction targets, such as a low-carbon fuel standards and regional incentives and funding mechanisms.

Realizing the unique and major impact that the Midwestern states play in the emissions of carbon, these governors wanted to institute Midwestern practicality in the debate on global warming.

While the Midwest has intensive manufacturing and agriculture sectors, making it the most coal-dependent region in North America, it also has world-class renewable energy resources and opportunities to allow it to take a lead role in solving the effects of climate change. The geographic location and ideologically centrist beliefs of the Midwestern region provide its leaders with an ability to push the federal policy debate in a productive direction. Through the Midwestern Accord, these governors agreed to establish a Midwestern greenhouse gas reduction program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their states, as well as a working group to provide recommendations regarding the implementation of the Accord.

Coupling the Midwestern Accord with the Midwestern Governors Association’s MGA Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform for the Midwest, the region is uniquely positioned to be a leader in energy and climate issues.

In June 2009, the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord Advisory Group finalized its draft recommendations.

See also

Energy portal

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• List of climate change initiatives
• The Climate Registry
• Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
• Western Climate Initiative

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "10 Midwestern leaders sign greenhouse gas reduction accord". hometownsource.com. 2007-11-15. http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3098&Itemid=29. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 

External links

• Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord Web site
• MGA Energy Initiatives
• Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord 2007
• MGA Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Platform for the Midwest