News Release
Governor Martz’s Works with Industry and Environmental Groups to Address Global Climate Change
9/26/2003
Mark Lindberg
406-444-9757
mlindberg@state.mt.us
September 26, 2003
Governor Martz’s Works with Industry and Environmental Groups to Address Global Climate Change
(Helena)—Governor Judy Martz announced today that a Governor’s Carbon Sequestration Working Group comprised of industry, economic development groups, farm organizations, environmental and conservation interests has been formed to advance a voluntary market-based approach to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere through conservation practices to help reduce global climate change.
“I am pleased to join with these influential partners to work on this important issue,” said Governor Martz. “President Bush has announced his Climate Vision and Montana is taking a proactive stance to implement the President’s initiative.”
The Department of Energy recently announced a $1.6 million grant designating Montana as the lead state in a regional partnership with South Dakota and Idaho to continue research in carbon sequestration. The effort will be led by MSU and will collaborate with the Governor’s Working Group and NCOC to eventually develop pilot projects.
A grant to help fund the start up of the National Carbon Offset Coalition (NCOC), and to provide some match monies to the regional partnership grant award was initiated by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. The 2003 Montana legislative session approved the funding led by the bi-partisan committee support of Representatives Dave Kasten, John Witt, and Christine Kaufmann, along with Senators Jon Tester, Joe Tropilla, Tom Zook, and Bob Keenan.
The programs now under development by the NCOC and the Governor’s Carbon Sequestration Working Group will provide landowners, corporations, as well as tribal and local governments an opportunity to participate in a market-based conservation program.
President Bush’s U.S. Climate Change Policy of 2002 proposes that the U.S. lower its rate of emissions from an estimated 183 million tons per million dollars of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2002, to 151 million tons per million dollars of GDP in 2012. Carbon sequestration is identified as one of the key mitigation strategies in the President’s proposal.
According to Mark Lindberg, Chairman of the Governor’s Working Group, the NCOC is a Montana based non-profit corporation designed to develop and market carbon sequestration projects in Montana and nationally.
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