Romney Yanks MA From Regional Climate Talks - RI Out Too - Boston Globe

[hatrack]

Massachusetts yesterday pulled out of a landmark multistate pact to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Northeast power plants, Governor Mitt Romney confirmed last night. Rhode Island also dropped out of the pact, according to two government officials involved in the negotiations. The two states wanted to cap how much power plants would have to pay to emit pollution, to protect businesses and consumers from increases in energy costs. The other states were willing to compromise, the government officials said, but not to go as far as Massachusetts wanted because they thought it would have undermined the pact's effectiveness.

An announcement of the pact was scheduled for today in New York, but it has been put on hold as the seven remaining states discuss changes because of the loss of the two states. The agreement is the largest effort in the nation to bypass President Bush's opposition to national limits on smokestack emissions of greenhouse gases, which are blamed for contributing to global warming. ''I believe it's a national embarrassment for Massachusetts to back out," said US Representative Martin T. Meehan, a Democrat from Lowell. He and the other members of the Massachusetts' congressional delegation sent a letter to Romney earlier yesterday urging him to sign the pact. ''Massachusetts should be at the forefront . . . not leading the opposition," Meehan said via telephone yesterday.

Romney said last night that he could not endorse a plan that did not include a ''safety valve," one that would cap the amount power plants would have to pay if they exceed emissions limits -- costs that could be passed on to businesses and consumers. ''New England has the highest energy rates in the country, and would cost us more," Romney said in a telephone interview. ''We offered a simple safety valve and they rejected that and came back with a series of proposals to lessen the price escalation, but it was not a clean and sure safety valve."

Romney also said the program was largely symbolic and would not fix the worldwide problem of greenhouse gas emissions. He said that Massachusetts and other states would probably monitor the pact and that ''there is no hurry" to join.

EDIT

No, no, Mitt. No hurry. No hurry at all to do ANYTHING, even if it is "symbolic", right?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/15/mass_pulls_out_of_agreement_to_cut_power_plant_emissions/

[ananda]

1. What a jerk!

Asshole.

[saltpoint]

2. The folks who put together dictionaries are going to have --

-- to add a photo of Mitt Romney next to the entry for 'fool' in the next edition.

This guy is just too much.

[Ian David]

3. He's being Presidential!

Must have gotten those "Left Behind" books that Bush sent him.

[phantom power]

4. A "safety valve?"

I want a goddamned "safety valve" for hurricanes, massive drought and rising sea-levels.

[SkiGuy]

5. I'd like to know who the 2 RI officials

[NNadir]

6. I have no fucking idea how Massachusetts elected Romney.

Of course I have no idea how the population of a low lying area like Cape Cod could oppose the Cape Wind project either.

[SkiGuy]

7. Really

it makes no sense opposing that. Unbel;ievable there is even a battle about that

[phantom power]

8. It's the American way!

Foreigners may not be aware of this, but we are all able to assume six indefensible positions before breakfast. It's part of our national ideological-calisthenics program.

[One_Life_To_Give]

9. You want the pretty people

to have to look upon unsightly windmills? :o

Or worse take air away from the Spinnaker!

[Bru]

10. Wait till Romney leaves...

since he's http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/14/source_romney_to_skip_re_election_bid_in_2006">not running for re-election. Then after a Dem is elected MA can be back in the negotiations.