On October 28, 2013 the leaders of British Columbia, California, Oregon and Washington signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy committing their governments to a comprehensive and strategic alignment to combat climate change and promote clean energy. The region covered by the Action Plan has a combined population of 53 million people and a GDP of $2.8 trillion, which represents the world’s fifth largest economy.
Through the Action Plan, all four jurisdictions will account for the costs of carbon pollution and where feasible, link programs to create consistency and predictability across the region. In addition, the Action Plan provides for the following actions:
- harmonizing 2050 targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and developing mid-term targets needed to support long-term reduction goals;
- cooperating with national and sub-national governments around the work to press for an international climate change agreement in 2015;
- enlisting support for research on ocean acidification and taking action to combat it;
- adopting and maintaining low carbon fuel standards in each jurisdiction;
- taking action to expand the use of zero-emission vehicles, aiming for 10% of new vehicle purchases by 2016;
- continue deployment of high-speed rail across the region;
- supporting emerging markets and innovation for alternative fuels in commercial trucks, buses, rail, ports and marine transportation;
- harmonizing standards to support energy efficiency on the way to “net zero” buildings;
- supporting federal policy on regulating GHG emissions from power plants;
- sponsoring pilot projects with local governments, state agencies and the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange to make infrastructure climate smart;
- streamlining approval of renewable energy projects; and
- supporting integration of the region’s electricity grids.
The Action Plan provides a much needed boost to regional and national efforts climate change policy efforts.
The Pacific Coast Collaborative was established in 2008 to address the unique and shared circumstances of the Pacific coastal areas and jurisdictions in North America by providing a formal framework for co-operative action, a forum for leadership and the sharing of information on best practices, and a common voice on issues facing coastal and Pacific jurisdictions.