California Signs Climate Agreement with West Coast States, British Columbia

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed an agreement with Washington, Oregon and British Columbia to align climate change policies and promote clean energy.

Under the plan, the jurisdictions agree to align programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement sets the stage for establishing low carbon fuel standards on the west coast in each jurisdiction. California and British Columbia have already set standards.

“This is a significant step forward," says Simon Mui with the Natural Resources Defense Council.  "It is putting a price on carbon pollution and establishing clean fuel standards across the west, and in so doing the west will become one of the largest clean fuels market in the world.”

Anthony Leiserowitz with the Yale Project on Climate Change says the agreement will garner attention.

“When an economy of that size begins to take significant action together to reduce emissions as well as prepare for the impacts, that can have an important contribution to the global fight against climate change,” he says.