Conference Recap
The Climate Policy Puzzle:  Putting the Pieces Together
April 2-3, 2008
By Rick Sprott, A&WMA President Elect

Senator Joe Lieberman addressed a diverse audience to open the A&WMA climate conference that included regulators, industry, environmental advocates, academics, NGOs, and consultants.  He gave his bill (SB2191) “just a little better than a 50-50 chance” of passing this year and provided a candid perspective of the legislative gauntlet the Lieberman-Warner bill faces when it is introduced later this spring. He also observed that it was appropriate for the conference to begin on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Massachusetts vs. EPA decision. (See accompanying BNA news article for more details on Lieberman’s presentation.)

The panels following the keynote session focused on policy options, design elements, and how policies might be integrated into the current Clean Air Act. Steve Page, Director of EPA’s Office of Air Quality Programs and Standards, described how using current authorities to implement effective climate policy was the stuff of bad dreams. Many attendees voiced frustration over the administration’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as a lawsuit lodged the same day in the DC Circuit on the action was announced.

The first day concluded with a panel of state regulators moderated by ECOS Executive Director Steve Brown and NACAA Executive Director Bill Becker. Peter Iwanowitz, Director of New York’s Climate Office, presented an update on RGGI and the reasoning for critical designs such as allowance auctioning. Utah Executive Director of Environmental Quality Rick Sprott presented an overview of the Western Climate Initiative and the range of policy elements under consideration. He described program scope, point of regulation for the electricity sector, allowances, and offset design as the most challenging decisions. Deputy Director of the Illinois EPA Ron Burke described the recent agreements reached by the Midwest Governors and their very fast track schedule to offer a cap and trade program plan before the end of the year. Finally, Art Williams, Director of the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District and NACAA Global Warming Committee Co-chair, summarized possible conclusions of the NACAA climate conference in February on the role of state and local agencies in climate policy.

Panels on the second day of the conference addressed policies working in developing nations, how to meet energy needs in a carbon-constrained world, economic instruments promoting greenhouse gas reductions, and a look ahead for future outreach and training needs.

Full conference presentation materials will be available in about two weeks on A&WMA’s Web site:  www.awma.org. The conference was the kickoff of a multi-year climate program by A&WMA to enhance knowledge of policy, technical, and implementation of climate programs.