Thread: British Columbia Aligns With California to Create a Green Bloc Along Pacific

British Columbia Aligns With California to Create a Green Bloc Along Pacific

By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, March 18, 2007; Page A18

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The premier of British Columbia wanted to bring coal-burning plants and offshore oil rigs to this lush province, so environmental groups were ready for a fight as he prepared his government's annual policy speech last month.
They were stunned when Premier Gordon Campbell delivered a list of green promises that surpassed their most ambitious dreams.

He would not only stop the growth in greenhouse gases in the province, he said, but also slash them by one-third. He would gut the coal plant plans. Embrace wind power. Lease hybrid cars for the government. Squelch environmental pollution by the powerful oil and gas industry. Toughen car emission regulations.
His plans would make British Columbia what the Globe and Mail newspaper called "the continent's greenest spot." Campbell also proposed an enterprising alliance with California to create a Pacific Coast bloc of states and provinces to tackle climate change without waiting for action from their federal governments.
"If you wait for a whole continent to come together, sometimes it takes too long," Campbell said Friday in an interview from Santa Monica, Calif., where he met with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to plot joint action.
The two leaders announced plans to build a series of futuristic hydrogen fueling stations from San Diego to Whistler, B.C., to encourage the use of hydrogen vehicles. Campbell said he hopes to bring all the coastal governors to a global warming planning summit this spring.
"We want to get started on acting on climate change. I think it's what the public wants and what the planet needs," Campbell said.
The premier's embrace of global warming action reflects the growing political potency of the issue and illustrates how some local governments are shunning the go-slow approach of federal administrations in Washington and Ottawa.
Climate change is at the top of the list of public concerns in Canada, zooming ahead of traditional worry about the health care system, according to opinion polls.
In British Columbia, Campbell's plan to build two coal-fired electric plants in a province that depends almost entirely on clean hydropower produced a powerful backlash.
"The coal plants really got people fired up," said Ian Bruce, an analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental group based in Vancouver. "The perception is that British Columbia is an environmentally conscious place. But suddenly, British Columbians realized their government was headed in the wrong direction. It was an embarrassment, and it put a lot of pressure on the B.C. government."
Late last year, Campbell sought advice from Schwarzenegger, who had reversed his own sagging political fortunes by championing some of the toughest environmental regulations in the United States. Schwarzenegger dispatched his chief environmental adviser, Terry Tamminen, to Victoria, B.C., where he worked quietly with Campbell's staff to draft a far-reaching plan. On Feb. 13, Campbell unveiled the proposal in a traditional "throne speech" that sets out government policy.






washingtonpost.com

Have y'all hugged a tree today? :whistling:

Originally Posted by Zulu87

Have y'all hugged a tree today? :whistling:

Wait... I'll be right back.

Premier Campbell's announcement was so stunning as he is the leader of the Province's far right wing, pro-business, conservative party. Their name? The Liberal Party of BC.

I only mention this to further ingrain the true meaning of 'liberalism' into 400 million American vocabularies.

Maybe this will be the new political map of North America in a few years time.

Originally Posted by Dr.Knuckles

Premier Campbell's announcement was so stunning as he is the leader of the Province's far right wing, pro-business, conservative party. Their name? The Liberal Party of BC.

Pro-business?

Not quite Liberalism, but your point is pretty valid nonethless .

Originally Posted by Dr.Knuckles

Premier Campbell's announcement was so stunning as he is the leader of the Province's far right wing, pro-business, conservative party. Their name? The Liberal Party of BC.

I only mention this to further ingrain the true meaning of 'liberalism' into 400 million American vocabularies.

Speaking of which, the Liberal Party of Australia may just become another Third Party if Labour wins the next elections Yay!

There is a right wing, conservative federal Australian party called the Liberals?

I didn't know that. Thanks for the further ammo

Here's our boys.

Attachment 554

If anyone in Hawaii thinks that Campbell looks familiar - they may remember him getting busted for drunk driving on a family vacation in 2005.

Originally Posted by Dr.Knuckles

Here's our boys.

Attachment 554

If anyone in Hawaii thinks that Campbell looks familiar - they may remember him getting busted for drunk driving on a family vacation in 2005.

Your politicians are competent enough to drive?

:jawdrop: