BC TO PARTICIPATE IN NORTH AMERICAN CLIMATE REGISTRY

VICTORIA – British Columbia will join with 30 U.S. states and a U.S. Indian tribe as a member of The Climate Registry, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

“We are pleased to be part of this important initiative that will develop a greenhouse gas database and reporting system to help us track the progress we make in reducing our emissions in British Columbia,” said Campbell. “Collectively, the Registry will represent jurisdictions with more than 214 million people, the largest cooperative effort in North America relating to climate change.”

The newly-formed organization will develop and manage a common greenhouse gas emissions reporting system. The database will be capable of supporting multiple greenhouse gas emissions reporting and emissions reduction policies for its member states/tribes and reporting entities, including British Columbia. It will also provide an accurate, complete, consistent, transparent, and verified set of greenhouse gas emissions data from reporting entities, supported by a robust accounting and verification infrastructure. The Registry will accept reporting data in January 2008.

British Columbia has committed to sign the Climate Registry’s Statement of Principles and Goals and expects to be recognized as a founding member at a meeting later this month. The list of charter members includes the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. The Province of Manitoba has also committed to join the registry.

In the 2007 throne speech, the Province:

· Set a target to reduce GHG emissions by 33 per cent below current levels by 2020, which will place emissions 10 per cent under 1990 levels.

· Announced it will set new tailpipe emissions standards for all new vehicles sold in B.C., to be phased in between 2009 and 2016.

· Announced it will establish a Climate Action Team to identify practical options and actions for making the Government of B.C. carbon neutral by 2010.

Today’s announcement is the latest action by British Columbia to aggressively meet its GHG reduction target. Last week in Toronto Premier Campbell met with premiers from the rest of Canada to discuss building alliances and strategies to address climate change in a positive and concrete manner.

Two weeks ago British Columbia joined with five western U.S. states in the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative (WRCAI) to develop and implement a market-based carbon trading system that provides low-cost solutions for industry.

“The Climate Registry will provide a common platform for states, provinces and regional partnerships, such as the WRCAI, to measure and report emissions of greenhouse gases in an accurate, transparent manner consistent across borders and industry sectors,” said Campbell. “Accurate measurement of greenhouse gas emissions is the first step to manage and reduce emissions and British Columbia is reaching out to other states and provinces and in the months and years ahead we will do our best to show the benefits of these partnerships across North America.”

For more information on the registry, please see http://www.theclimateregistry.org.

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218

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