Press Release: Governor Bill Richardson Leads Regional Climate Change Initiative

From the New Mexico Governor's Office:

Governor Bill Richardson Leads Regional Climate Change
Initiative

(Santa Fe, NM) – Governor Bill Richardson today joined the Governors of Arizona,
California, Oregon and Washington to announce the formation of the Western Regional
Climate Action Initiative to implement a joint strategy to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.

At the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Governors Janet
Napolitano, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Richardson, Ted Kulongoski and Chris
Gregoire signed the agreement that directs their respective states to, within the next six
months, develop a regional target for reducing greenhouse gases. During the next 18
months, they will devise a market-based program, such as a load-based cap and trade
program to reach the target. The five states also have agreed to participate in a multistate
registry to track and manage greenhouse gas emissions in their region.

“With this agreement, states are once again taking the lead on combating global climate
change – while Washington, D.C. sits on its hands,” said New Mexico Governor Bill
Richardson. “This historic agreement signals our commitment to tackling the problem
head-on at the regional level and building on efforts in our individual states.”

The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative builds on existing greenhouse gas
reduction efforts in the individual states as well as two existing regional efforts. In 2003,
California, Oregon and Washington created the West Coast Global Warming Initiative,
and in 2006, Arizona and New Mexico launched the Southwest Climate Change
Initiative.

During the Richardson Administration, New Mexico has been a national leader on
combating global climate change. These efforts have included becoming the first state in
the nation to join the Chicago Climate Exchange and the first major oil and gas producing
state to tackle climate change comprehensively.

Governor Bill Richardson also recently signed an executive order that directs state
agencies to follow many of the recommendations of his Climate Change Advisory Group,
which produced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 267
million metric tons.

The Governor’s executive order creates a state government implementation team tasked
with ensuring policies from the order are carried out. Those policies include:

• Creating a market-based greenhouse gas emissions registry and reduction
program
• Advancing carbon capture and sequestration technology
• Promoting the use of manure from the dairy industry in power generation
• Developing an education and outreach program on green buildings for private
sector builders
• Creating new procurement rules that ensure state government offices have energy
efficient appliances
• Mandating that state vehicles use mainly clean, renewable fuels
• Proposing a one-time tax credit of up to 40 percent for the purchase, construction
or retrofitting of alternative fuel filling stations.

Governor Richardson has also endorsed seeking regulations to sharply reduce greenhouse
gas emissions of new cars and trucks sold in New Mexico and more than quadrupling
New Mexico’s renewable energy use by mandating that 15 percent of the state’s
electricity come from renewable sources by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020.

In spring 2005, Governor Richardson issued an executive order establishing greenhouse
gas emission reduction goals for New Mexico. These goals are 2000 levels by 2012, 10
percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and 75 percent below 2000 levels by 2050. New
Mexico, along with Arizona and California, is among a growing number of states to
create climate change advisory groups.

Western states have suffered from prolonged drought, decreased snowfall, increased and
earlier snowmelt, and more severe and devastating forest and rangeland fires in recent
years as a result of changes in the climate. The just-released Fourth Assessment Report
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that the Western United
States will be especially affected by increased temperatures and climatic changes
resulting from the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

#30#

http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2007/feb/022607_01.pdf

Governor Richardson Appears on CSPAN's "Washington Journal" & "Hardball"

Click on the links below to view Governor Richardson's recent appearances on CSPAN's "Washington Journal" and on "Hardball". Enjoy!

"Washington Journal":
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (experiencing slight processing delay, check back if an error message displays)
Part 4

"Hardball" appearance

Read Governor Richardson's Op-Ed on Iran & Diplomacy

See below Governor Richardson's recent op-ed from the Washington Post on why the Iran problem needs a diplomatic solution. You can also read it by clicking here.

Diplomacy, Not War, With Iran
By Bill RichardsonSaturday, February 24, 2007; Page A19

The recent tentative agreement with North Korea over its nuclear program illustrates how diplomacy can work even with the most unsavory of regimes. Unfortunately, it took the Bush administration more than six years to commit to diplomacy. During that needless delay North Korea developed and tested nuclear weapons -- weapons its leaders still have not agreed to dismantle. Had we engaged the North Koreans earlier, instead of calling them "evil" and talking about "regime change," we might have prevented them from going nuclear. We could have, and should have, negotiated a better agreement, and sooner.

As the International Atomic Energy Agency just confirmed, Iran has once again defied the international community and is moving forward with its nuclear program, yet the Bush administration seems committed to repeating the mistakes it made with North Korea. Rather than directly engaging the Iranians about their nuclear program, President Bush refuses to talk, except to make threats. He has moved ships to the Persian Gulf region and claims, with scant evidence, that Iran is helping Iraqi insurgents kill Americans. This is not a strategy for peace. It is a strategy for war -- a war that Congress has not authorized. Most of our allies, and most Americans, don't believe this president, who has repeatedly cried wolf.

Saber-rattling is not a good way to get the Iranians to cooperate. But it is a good way to start a new war -- a war that would be a disaster for the Middle East, for the United States and for the world. A war that, furthermore, would destroy what little remains of U.S. credibility in the community of nations.

A better approach would be for the United States to engage directly with the Iranians and to lead a global diplomatic offensive to prevent them from building nuclear weapons. We need tough, direct negotiations, not just with Iran but also with our allies, especially Russia, to get them to support us in presenting Iran with credible carrots and sticks.

No nation has ever been forced to renounce nuclear weapons, but many have chosen to do so. The Iranians will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names. They will renounce nukes because we convince them that they will be safer and more prosperous if they do that than if they don't. This feat will take more than threats and insults. It will take skillful American diplomatic leadership.

Diplomacy is more than just talking to people. It requires speaking credibly from a position of strength. As the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as energy secretary, as a member of Congress and as a diplomatic envoy, I have always believed in and worked to achieve tough, credible and direct negotiations with adversaries. To be tough, you need strong alliances and a strong military. And to be credible, you need a record of meaning what you say. By alienating our allies, overextending our military, making idle threats and antagonizing just about everyone, the Bush administration has undermined our diplomatic leverage.

We need to change course. Iran's nuclear program is a threat to peace, but it also presents an opportunity to start rebuilding America's credibility and leadership, which have been weakened by six years of incompetence.

This is no time for chest-beating and dangerous brinkmanship. It is time for alliance-building, direct engagement and tough face-to-face negotiations. For the United States to attack Iran without exhausting all diplomatic options would be a terrible mistake.

KOB-TV: Richardson takes stage in presidential forum

See Governor Richardson's appearance in Nevada below courtesy of You Tube and an accompanying article from KOB-TV, Albuquerque!

Part One

Part Two

Richardson, seven other Democratic candidates speak at Nev. forum

By: Todd Dukart

Gov. Bill Richardson said that the next president of the United States should get the country out of Iraq.

He spoke Wednesday at a forum for Democratic presidential candidates in Carson City, Nev.
The forum was sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and aired on the cable channel C-SPAN.
During his opening remarks, Richardson said the best way to handle Iraq would be to elect a Democratic president.

“The next president will have to get us out of Iraq,” he said.

Seven other Democratic candidates attended, but not Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
Many political observers who have noted recent gains by democrats in political races in the Rocky Mountain states have asserted that in order for democrats to do well in the presidential election they must do well in the West.

Nevada has moved up its presidential caucus, giving the West more early clout in selecting a Democratic nominee.

KOBTV.com’s Reed Upton contributed to this report.

Parts 2 and 3 of Report on Governor Richardson's Visit to New Hampshire

Here is the complete summary of Governor Richardson's recent visit to New Hampshire. Enjoy!

Part 1: http://billrichardsonblog.com/?p=225
Part 2: http://billrichardsonblog.com/?p=227
Part 3: http://billrichardsonblog.com/?p=228

Report on Governor Richardson's Trip to New Hampshire

Andrea from billrichardsonblog.com forwarded this summary of how Governor Richardson's recent trip to New Hampshire went. Below is the link to part one of her summary from her blog. Enjoy!

http://billrichardsonblog.com/?p=225

Also, I added more articles to the Bill in the News section. Check out how Governor Richardson donated $15,000 to keep a local Boys and Girls Club in operation as well as a really great 5 part series from the Albuquerque Tribune on the Governor's candidacy.

Governor Richardson a Big Hit at DNC Winter Meeting

Hi everyone. Despite predictions of bad weather here in the DC area, I made it to the DNC meeting a few weeks ago and saw Governor Richardson speak. The Governor largely scored a home run with the speech (I wasn't a fan of how he ended it, to be honest) but the way he combined his accomplishments with how President Bush has led the country in the wrong direction and how he is best able to turn things around was excellent. He even got in a few bits of humor. I stood in the audience to the extreme right of the rostrum (along with Mark from DC who I finally got to meet) within sight of the Maryland DNC reps, all of whom except one I know. They all seemed to really like the speech, as did the rest of the room. As you can tell by watching the video, the Governor got two standing ovations and it seemed he had more supporters there than Joe Biden and that other guy who spoke the same day too.

And when the speech was finished and he proceeded into the corridor outside the ballroom, it was like a rockstar had just emerged from backstage. The number of cameras (both personally owned and of the news media) and people in general crowded around the Governor was rather large. Person after person approached him and said they loved his speech. One particularly touching comment came from the mother of a soldier who is serving in Iraq (I believe it was).

I also bumped into a State Delegate I know from my work in Annapolis, who is supporting Governor Richardson and who wants to possibly have a fundraiser for him around the end of the month in Baltimore. I told him I'd help him out in anyway possible and I'll of course keep you all informed of what goes on.

I've included below some links to press coverage of Governor Richardson's speech and other articles praising the Governor's candidacy. Enjoy!

Las Cruces Sun-News: Richardson's diplomacy stands out

El Paso Times: Richardson has chance to invigorate Hispanic voters

Albuquerque Tribune: Bill Richardson: The Tribune Interview

The State (Columbia, SC): Richardson hopes voters will appreciate his experience

Washington Post: Richardson: U.S. Must Lead By Example

National Journal: The Lives of Bill Richardson