Greenhouse gas legislation coming this fall: Doer
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 | 2:43 PM CT
CBC News
Manitoba's NDP government said Tuesday it is preparing to introduce legislation that will require the province to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Premier Gary Doer is keeping the details of the legislation to himself for now, but he said it will meet some of the goals the province of British Columbia has already set.
B.C.'s bill includes reducing current levels of greenhouse gas emissions by one-third by 2020, adopting California's tailpipe emission standards for vehicles, and requiring core government services to be carbon neutral by 2010.
Doer would not say whether Manitoba's targets will be that high, but he said Manitoba may meet whatever goals it does set sooner.
"In some areas, British Columbia is better than Manitoba. In other areas, we've gone further than British Columbia," Doer said.
"We're sharing experiences. We're not into who's better or worse. We're into what we can do to make a difference to our planet. We have some immediate targets a little earlier, but we're all moving in the same direction."
Some hints about what is likely to come came in an agreement Manitoba and B.C. signed to "affirm the commitment of both provinces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels and beyond."
The agreement includes measures such as investments in wind and geothermal energy, more environmentally friendly building codes for new construction, and further encouragement for alternative-fuel vehicles.
Some of the details of Manitoba's proposed legislation will be released in the throne speech in November, Doer said.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell is in Manitoba this week for a conference on climate change with Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. Arizona, Manitoba and B.C. all belong to the Western Climate Initiative, a consortium of states and provinces that agree to common goals on greenhouse gas reductions.
Napolitano praised both Doer and Campbell for their environmental leadership.
The three leaders are joining representatives from business, government, transportation and agriculture industries, First Nations and community leaders for a day-long conference on climate-change initiatives Tuesday.
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