West Side Story

West Coast Governors Step Up to Tackle Climate Change

Accusing the Bush administration of "foot-dragging" in the fight against climate change, the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington teamed up yesterday to unveil a joint strategy for cutting emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Governors Gray Davis (Calif.), Ted Kulongoski (Ore.), and Gary Locke (Wash.), Democrats all, said they would coordinate efforts to develop renewable energy sources, reduce emissions from ships and trucks, buy fuel-efficient vehicles, develop uniform efficiency standards, and create standardized methods for tracking emissions. "My message today is if Washington, D.C., will not lead, then the West Coast of the United States will lead on global warming," said Davis. Environmentalists were enthusiastic about the effort, though the governors' plans lacked specifics and no new legislation or executive orders were announced.