A Status Report on Midwestern Energy and Climate Accords

Last November, Midwestern governors and Canadian premiers signed ambitious regional accords intended to stimulate economic development and job creation via a comprehensive set of renewable and low-carbon energy technologies and strategies.

Since then, participating states have appointed diverse representatives to four advisory groups charged with identifying more precisely what Midwestern states should do to secure their energy future and do their part on climate stewardship. These four groups, focused respectively on energy efficiency, renewable electricity and advanced coal with carbon capture, the bioeconomy and transportation, and designing a regional Cap & Trade system that would place a limit on greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere have been meeting this past summer.

Below are some of the milestones to expect over the coming months:

September 2008- The Midwestern Governors Association announced perhaps the first concrete product from last November's Governors Summit: guidelines for implementing a regional bioproduct procurement system. The guidelines, listed here, create common definitions and standards for biobased products and set out methods for Midwestern states interested in procuring those products.

Fall 2008- The Advisory Groups described above are expected to issue preliminary recommendations on how to achieve the targets governors and the premier committed to on energy efficiency, renewable electricity, advanced coal with carbon capture and bioenergy, including the outlines of a low-carbon fuels policy for the Midwest. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Advisory Group will issue its initial design recommendations for a cap and trade system.

Winter through Summer 2009- Work will focus on developing a Model Rule (detailing the nuts and bolts of how the cap and trade system would actually operate). Work will also begin on assembling recommendations from the other Advisory Groups into a coherent "Roadmap," and on implementing other recommendations that can be acted upon right away (e.g., quantifying the amount of energy each state could save through energy efficiency alone).

September 2009- Follow-up Governors Summit on Energy Security and Climate Stewardship. The Summit will provide a forum for releasing two main products: a Model Rule for implementing a Cap&Trade system regulating greenhouse gas emissions; and a Midwestern Energy Transition Roadmap outlining the most cost effective policies and strategies for tapping this region's strengths and achieving genuine security and economic renewal.