Climate Change
WSPA understands that climate change is an important issue that elected officials feel strongly they must take action to address.
WSPA and our members are working closely and collaboratively with government agencies and private entities throughout the West to develop strategies and programs that will successfully meet ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
A guiding principle in this effort is our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using market-based programs that continue to assure an adequate supply of reliable and affordable energy to consumers in the West.
For more information on what WSPA members are going to address climate change, click here.
Committed to effective, successful climate change policies
Our member companies are leaders in the field of energy efficiency as well as renewable fuels research and development throughout the world.
We need to be especially careful as we implement climate change policies that we do not inadvertently disrupt or imperil the critical supplies of transportation fuels that keep our economies growing and citizens moving.
In California, WSPA is working with a coalition that represents companies that employ more than one million workers. We have developed six principles that we believe will help achieve the goals of AB 32, resulting in actual emission reductions while protecting jobs and the economy. We believe these principles can and should be applied to all state and regional efforts to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
These principles advocate climate change implementation strategies that:
- Are based on sound science
- Are cost-effective
- Use technologically feasible means
- Promote market-based solutions
- Provide for regulatory certainty
- Minimize compliance costs
WSPA believes that market-based mechanisms provide the greatest hope of meeting climate change objectives with the least disruption to the economy, jobs and our lifestyles.
Six Principles WSPA Embraces for Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Strategies
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Adopt Policies that Simultaneously Retain Jobs and Achieve Emissions Reductions
As emission reduction regulations are implemented, agencies must carefully evaluate their impacts to ensure that implementation does not force companies to relocate to areas that do not have similar regulations. This outcome would merely transfer the location of greenhouse emissions, rather than actually reduce them.
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Use Sound Scientific Methods of Review
In considering greenhouse gas emission regulations and strategies, states should require rigorous, scientifically valid assessments that are subject to open processes and that allow adequate time and a full opportunity for expert review. This is particularly important in establishing emissions inventories, baselines and allocations.
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Impose Only Cost-Effective and Technologically Feasible Regulations
Regulations to reduce emissions need to be cost-effective and technologically feasible. WSPA strongly supports this principle because it helps ensure that regulations will not increase costs for consumers, threaten jobs or make states uncompetitive in the regional or global marketplace.
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Promote Innovation and Market-Based Strategies
Implementation of climate change policies should promote technological innovation and the efficiency of market-based strategies and include adequate regulatory certainty, reasonable timelines and permit streamlining.
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Minimize and Fairly Allocate Compliance Costs
Greenhouse gas reduction regulations should minimize compliance costs and administrative fees in order to protect jobs and consumers. Furthermore, the administrative costs of implementing these regulations should be borne equitably across all sectors.
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Provide Regulatory Certainty
Regulators should ensure that companies understand the impact of climate change policies on new investments in the state and receive recognition for energy and efficiency projects that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
WSPA Companies Are Leaders in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Fuels
Our member companies are leaders in the field of energy efficiency as well as renewable fuels research and development throughout the world. WSPA members are developing new fuels and technologies that will help us to achieve our shared climate change/carbon reduction objectives. We believe that diversifying the transportation fuels supply portfolio is a key to our energy security and to meeting state, regional and federal climate change objectives.
To learn more about the petroleum industry's role in addressing climate change issues, please visit:
American Petroleum Institute
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