I don’t agree with Governor Pawlenty’s positions on a range of issues, but he deserves credit for pushing policies that safeguard the environment. Earlier this year, he signed landmark legislation that will require Minnesota to produce 25% of its energy from renewable resources by 2025. Today, he and eight other Midwestern governors signed a pact to create a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The states’ respective legislatures will still need to give the plan their imprimatur, but this agreement represents a significant first step towards an eventual nationwide strategy for reducing emissions. I’m not sure what influenced Pawlenty to resist the environmental rape-and-pillage mentality of his party, but I’m happy to see him offer some real leadership on the matter.
Now, if only he’d buck up and pass a gas tax increase so that we can fix our roads, bridges, and build ourselves a real transit system.
Yay, Gov. Sebelius (Kansas)!