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Wisconsin Assembly and Senate Committees Begin Public Hearings on Climate Change Bill

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As noted last week, the Senate and Assembly special committees created for the climate change bills (AB 649/SB 450) begin a slate of hearings »

Wisconsin Senate Schedules Hearings for Global Warming Legislation

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Senators Jeff Plale and Mark Miller today announced a series of hearings on Gov. Doyle's global warming bill, dubbed the "Clean Energy Jobs Act." The 174-page bill (SB 450/AB 649) would considerably alter Wisconsin's economy.

EPA to Impose Stricter Ozone Standards

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The Obama Administration last week announced plans to significantly reduce the national ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone. If adopted, the proposed rule would reduce ozone from 0.075 parts per million (ppm) to between 0.060 - 0.070 ppm for any eight-hour period. The new regulations could require utilities, refineries, gas stations and other businesses to implement costly new policies and technologies to drastically reduce emissions of chemicals that can form smog.

Governor Introduces Global Warming Bill

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Gov. Jim Doyle yesterday introduced his 174-page global warming legislation (Assembly Bill 649 and Senate Bill 450), which includes policy recommendations from the Global Warming Task Force he convened in 2008. Below are some of the key provisions of the legislation:
  • Renewable Energy Mandates. The bill increases Wisconsin's renewable energy mandate from 10 percent by 2015 to 10 percent by 2013.

Efforts in California to Limit Climate Change Law

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As the Wisconsin Legislature is poised to begin debating climate change legislation, an interesting scenario is taking place in California, which became the first state to adopt sweeping global warming legislation in 2006. Nearly four years after the law (Assembly Bill 32) was enacted, a movement is afoot in California to stop the law from fully taking effect until the state's unemployment rate drops below 5.5 percent. Currently, California's unemployment rate is hovering over 12 percent.