Joint Statement by Leaders of the Pacific Coast Collaborative

by | Nov 14, 2012 | Joint Statement

November 14, 2012

Acting on the Pacific Coast Collaborative’s 2012 West Coast Action Plan on Jobs, signed on March 13, 2012, by the Premier of British Columbia and the Governors of California, Oregon and Washington, policy leaders from the four jurisdictions are gathering in San Francisco this week at the GreenBuild 2012 Conference to accelerate actions and outcomes agreed to by the Action Plan.

In association with these meetings, the four PCC leaders (BC Premier Christy Clark, California Governor Jerry Brown, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire) issued the following joint statement:

“Confronting climate change requires concerted effort within each jurisdiction and across the region on several, interconnected fronts.

First, we need to move forward together on policies that will drive investment in home-grown renewable energy and energy efficiency projects– jobs we can’t outsource.

Second, we must better account for the environmental impacts associated with using fossil fuels that are detrimental to the health and well-being of our communities – and future generations.

Third, we need to protect our taxpayers’ investment in infrastructure by making sure these investments are resilient and account for climate risk.

And we must also look at how best to consider and then account for the cost of carbon and our costly reliance on carbon-intensive energy sources.   California’s cap and trade program , which launches today, and British Columbia’s carbon tax are two examples of tools that help more accurately price energy resources and continue the transition to a 21st  century energy infrastructure.”