Introduction

The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington launched the West Coast Governors' Global Warming Initiative (WCGGWI) in 2003. In doing so, they joined the New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers in addressing global warming from a state and regional perspective (see also Tennis, Chapter 26, this volume). The governors instructed their staff to look for strategies that mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through measures that also promote long-term economic growth, protect public health and the environment, consider social equity issues, and expand public awareness of climate change. This chapter describes the West Coast regional effort and examines the ways in which local and state-level action have contributed to bringing about this regional initiative, and in turn, how the regionally integrated emission reduction initiative supports states and local communities in fulfilling and going beyond their own individual action plans.

Motivations for the West Coast Governors' Global Warming Initiative

The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington initiated the WCGGWI because they recognized that existing state and federal policies would not stabilize, much less begin reducing, the region's level of GHG emissions. The states also hoped to establish precedents that would spur the development and implementation of climate polices in other states and at the federal level.

In addition, the governors were motivated by the fact that global warming will have serious adverse consequences for the economy, public health, and the environment of West Coast states.