Gov. Kaine Signs Governors' Declaration on Climate Change

By: TheGreenMiles
Published On: 4/22/2008 9:21:06 AM

Nice job by Gov. Kaine getting Virginia on board with this effort:

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, April 18, 2008 (ENS) - Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today led 20 Democrat and Republican governors from across the country in signing the Governors' Declaration on Climate Change at the 2008 Conference on Climate Change at Yale University.

The Declaration is founded on three principles. First, that a federal-state partnership is critical to success. Second, that state-based climate action plans and programs have paved the way for cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases and they deserve continued support. And third, that rewarding and encouraging meaningful and mandatory federal and state climate action is key to combating global warming.

This may seem like feel-good showing, but that couldn't be further from the truth. One of the biggest obstacles to climate action is the perception that it's a partisan issue, successfully fed by Big Oil for business reasons and by the likes of Ralph Reed for political reasons. Bipartisan efforts like this, bringing together moderates from Tim Kaine to Kathleen Sebelius to Arnold Schwarzenegger, are critical to demonstrate that climate action isn't a matter of left or right, it's a matter of right and wrong.


Comments



Wasn't Kaine in Pennsylvania (Teddy - 4/22/2008 10:34:30 AM)
campaigning for Obama? I never heard anything about that trip, so did this meeting outrank the campaign?


Sierra Club's Power2Change Campaign (arlingtoned - 4/22/2008 11:18:50 AM)
Sign the Power2Change petition to urge all the candidates up and down the ballot to support local,state,and federal policies which support clean and renewable energy.

https://secure2.convio.net/sie...



Kaine statement on Earth Day (Lowell - 4/22/2008 12:43:01 PM)
STATEMENT OF GOVERNOR KAINE

~ On 38th Annual Earth Day ~

RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today celebrated Earth Day by addressing Virginia Commonwealth University biology students and joining them aboard a workboat on the James River in Hopewell as part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's James River Program. The students conducted a survey of fish and other aquatic species in the James River and collected water quality data.

Governor Kaine issued the following statement in recognition of Earth Day:

"Whether it's hiking on innumerable miles of trails, canoeing on our scenic rivers, or turning off the television and enjoying the outdoors, Earth Day gives all Virginians a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the God-given beauty of the Commonwealth. But it also reminds us that we need to do more for the environment every day.

"We must make conserving our resources and protecting them a permanent part of our every day lives. Simple changes will go a long way toward protecting and preserving the environment. Recycling and switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, for example, are easy, individual actions to conserve resources and help combat global warming.

"Virginia is incredibly blessed with natural beauty and abundant resources. Let's do our part to preserve what we have for our children and grandchildren in the future."

To learn more about conservation or to view the Governor's public service announcement on energy conservation, please visit www.governor.virginia.gov.



It seems that Kaine (Eric - 4/22/2008 1:08:28 PM)
has forgotten about that little (sarcasm) polluting problem he is endorsing/encouraging down in Wise County.  Yeah, a few CFLs and some recycling will offset the environmental disaster that a dirty coal plant will produce.

Here's the thing: if Kaine is pro-coal for whatever reason, that is his choice to make.  We'll fight him on it, but at least he's making a clear statement about where he stands.  But it is ridiculous, phony, and transparent political pandering when he goes around touting environmentalism on Earth Day when it's clear to anyone paying attention that saving the environment is very low on his priority list.  

Maybe he wishes he could save the environment.  Maybe he wants to do the right thing.  I don't know what's deep in his heart.  But I do know that he's talking out of two sides of his mouth when he spouts all these feel good sound bites on Earth Day and then stands firm behind Dominion and their dirty coal plant every other day.  How exactly does building a dirty coal plant jive with "We must make conserving our resources and protecting them a permanent part of our every day lives"?  Answer: It doesn't.  

We're being greenwashed by yet another politician who talks about doing the right thing but simply can't bring himself to do so when it actually matters.  



Yes and no (TheGreenMiles - 4/22/2008 2:39:59 PM)
It's nice that Kaine is recognizing Earth Day ... but obviously CFLs and recycling aren't going to stop global warming if we're building new coal-fired power plants and it's silly to say so.


Partisanship (Alter of Freedom - 4/22/2008 3:39:22 PM)
"One of the biggest obstacles to climate action is the perception that it's a partisan issue"--I think we really need a bit more focus on why it is that such a truth is reality. I think alot of us who may be passionate about efforts concerning global warming need to understand that to many Americans it simply is not regarded with the same relevance as say the economy, Iraq, healthcare, education and to some extent most people want things that will make with some tangible value their lives better today or tommorrow and not twenty or fifty years.  I understand that is a hard pill to swallow but people today are caught in the present and with all that we see around us that is perceived as being negative we simply would like those things addressed first to make life a bit easier whether its tax relief or mortgage crisis solution or subsidized healthcare. Fact is if the issue of global warming was or is such an issue reaching critical mass like say the economy it would be on the radar in these campaigns and it is not. In fact the lack of conversation by both Obama and Clinton is troubling to say the least and what little talk there is is directed at the younger (perceived greener)not unlike the Jerry Brown campaign of old taking up the issue but with less vigor this time around.
I believe however, that there is a distinction to be made between how politicians whose interest it may serve not to pass significant legislation and those constituents out in America who do care about the environment but as a issue it has not elevated itself to the level of say illegal immigration in the hearts and minds and therefore the inaction goes relatively unnoticed by voters.
I would love for McCain to use his own words "make those people famous" who continually block progress on the environmental front because until then when people actually get a face posted with the disgrace little going forward of significance will be changed.
What needs to happen is the Party elite will need to determine or us pressure them to make the determination that the agenda must be elevated. I only say this because there is some risk involved politcially in the future is the issue is not captured, either by the formation of a third party in our nation in the future or a more dedicated focus by younger Republicans which are speaking to the issue greater than ever before on campuses nationwide.
A goal should be for all of us to narrow the gap between us at local level and our politicians with regard to many of the tenents of the global warming debate.  I believe the average voter cares about the environment regardless of Party, but our leaders need to be "made" to care about politically.


Sen. Deeds statement on Earth Day (Lowell - 4/22/2008 5:04:38 PM)
Senator Deeds' Statement on the 38th Annual Earth Day

WILLIAMSBURG, Va.-Senator R. Creigh Deeds, a member of the Governor's Commission on Climate Change, released the following statement today in recognition of Earth Day:

"Over the past 38 years we have made great strides as a Commonwealth and a nation in protecting our earth and preserving our natural resources, but much work still remains. Communities all over Virginia have started recycling programs, upgraded public transportation, and implemented progressive programs to protect land and water. As a Commonwealth we have invested in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, funded tax credits for land preservation, and provided grants for farmers to implement best practices in reducing runoff and pollution.

"This afternoon I'm spending time in Williamsburg, site of the birth of representative democracy, and today, the monthly meeting of the Governor's Commission on Climate Change, where we are discussing the potential devastation that would be wrought on Virginia should we refuse to act in the face of compelling scientific evidence. As the debate over the future of our climate wages in Washington, D.C., and state capitols throughout our nation, today's work is a chilling reminder of the urgency of this issue.

"Over the next year we must continue the fight to preserve our natural resources, to provide cleaner air and water, and to reduce output of greenhouse gases that lead to global climate change."