2007 Montana Legislature

About Bill -- Links

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 20

INTRODUCED BY M. COONEY

 

A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING CONGRESS TO ENACT A MANDATORY SCIENCE AND MARKET-BASED LIMIT ON OVERALL LEVELS OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES.

 

     WHEREAS, the world's leading climate scientists, through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have concluded that there is a greater than 90% likelihood that human activities are altering the world's climate; and

     WHEREAS, the National Academy of Sciences concludes that, in the judgment of most climate scientists, earth's warming in recent decades has been caused primarily by human activities that have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; and

     WHEREAS, major national corporations, many of which do business in Montana, have formed the group United States Climate Action Partnership that calls for mandatory approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the major emitting sectors on the federal level and stated that any delay in action to control emissions increases the risk of unavoidable consequences that could necessitate even steeper reductions in the future; and

     WHEREAS, current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere far exceed the natural range over the last 650,000 years; and

     WHEREAS, the President of the United States has recognized the need to confront the serious challenge of global climate change; and

     WHEREAS, the Governor has concluded that global climate change poses an unacceptable risk to Montana, its citizens, and future Montanans and has formed the Climate Change Advisory Council in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Montana; and

     WHEREAS, the state is negatively affected by greenhouse gas pollution emitted by other states and nations; and

     WHEREAS, the effects of global climate change are already present in Montana, including:

     (1) a 1 degree Fahrenheit rise in annual average temperature over the last century;

     (2) a decrease in annual snowfall in some areas by up to 22 inches;

     (3) snowmelt occurring nearly 3 weeks earlier, on average;

     (4) a six-fold increase in wildfires of greater than 1,000 acres;

     (5) reduced stream flow in the summer months; and

     (6) decreased agricultural productivity; and

     WHEREAS, climate models predict that with current rates of emissions, Montana's average temperature will rise an additional 5 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit; and

     WHEREAS, scientists project that there will be no glaciers in Glacier National Park by the year 2030; and

     WHEREAS, continued changes will negatively affect Montana's economic viability in sectors such as agriculture, hydroelectric power production, recreation, and tourism; and

     WHEREAS, efficiency improvements will reduce costs associated with heating, cooling, lighting, and transportation as well as shield energy consumers from increasingly volatile fuel markets; and

     WHEREAS, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can result in economic benefits for the state through the development of Montana's renewable resources, fostering innovation, and expanding job opportunities in technology-related fields.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

     (1) That Congress be urged to enact a mandatory science and market-based limit on overall levels of greenhouse gas emissions and provide incentives for further development and deployment of energy efficiency programs and renewable energy technologies.

     (2) That copies of this resolution be sent by the Secretary of State to the Montana Congressional Delegation.

- END -

 


Latest Version of SJ 20 (SJ0020.01)
Processed for the Web on February 16, 2007 (4:43pm)

New language in a bill appears underlined, deleted material appears stricken.

Sponsor names are handwritten on introduced bills, hence do not appear on the bill until it is reprinted.

See the status of this bill for the bill's primary sponsor.

 Status of this Bill | 2007 Legislature | Leg. Branch Home
All versions of this bill (PDF format)
Authorized print version w/line numbers (PDF format)
[
NEW SEARCH ]

Prepared by Montana Legislative Services
(406) 444-3064