York signs climate agreement
An excerpt from the Sept. 23, 2008 news story in Seacoastonline.com:
YORK, Maine — The town has joined 14 other Maine communities and 900 others nationwide — including Portsmouth, N.H. — in adopting the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement.
Selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to enter into the agreement, following a presentation by Eric Hopkins, chairman of the York Energy Efficiency Committee. And while they had a number of procedural questions, none of them voiced any concern about signing the agreement.
According to Hopkins, the nonbinding agreement calls for three things: that the town strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012; to urge the state and federal government to do the same; and to urge Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation.
“It is nonbinding, but it’s a statement of intent that we’re interested in protecting the environment, using energy more efficiently, polluting less,” said Hopkins.
The agreement covers municipal government only, not private businesses or property owners.
Hopkins said the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a worthy goal for the town. He suggested that town consider joining ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, a consortium of municipalities that have signed the mayor’s agreement. The cost for York would be $600 a year. Once a member, he said, York could receive free software that would allow the town to figure out its 1990 greenhouse gas levels and its current levels.
Read the whole article.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
[...] his presentation to the selectmen, Eric suggested that the town join ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental [...]