Busy news day today, so we're bringing you our weekly roundup of important state news a day early this week! We start in Arizona, where yet another governor is defending her executive leadership on climate change against industry allies in the legislature.
--Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano last year ordered state regulators to draft and implement auto emissions rules approximating California's landmark law; they have obliged and are still moving forward amidst the fallout from EPA's waiver denial, which state AG Terry Goddard is helping challenge in court. Now, the State Senate has belatedly stepped in to demand a role in the process, passing a bill that would stop environmental officials from implementing the rules. Napolitano will likely veto that proposal, though she has taken pains to stress her desire to work with legislators on comprehensive global warming legislation.
--On the other hand, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is experiencing smoother sailing than expected with his efforts to pass a comprehensive climate change bill. Crist, like Napolitano, had previously ordered state officials to work toward adopting California's clean-cars program.
--In our most recent post on the Kansas coal plant battle, we took note of coal companies' historic bad luck in trying to build a flurry of new plants before costs become too high and/or long-overdue federal regulation of CO2 kicks in. Nevertheless, as Sierra Club head honcho Carl Pope reports from negotiations over the Western Climate Initiative, at least one CEO hadn't gotten the memo as lobbied for weakening that regional compact.
--And last, yet certainly not least (though most of you have probably read about it by now), yesterday brought news that atomospheric levels of CO2 and methane rose sharply in 2007. Joe Romm has more over at Climate Progress, arguing passionately that "the time to act was yesterday."
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