photo: California Governor’s Office
Utah today became the latest western state to join a regional compact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and fellow Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed the agreement to include Utah in what may eventually result in a western carbon trading market. The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The alliance aims to develop a regional cap on greenhouse gas emissions. That will prove a challenge, given the dependence of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah on coal-fired power plants. But those states will soon lose California has a market, given that regulators have banned utilities PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) from signing long-term contracts to buy electricity from out-of-state coal-fired plants.
Utah Joins Schwarzenegger’s Green Bloc
May 21, 2007 by Todd Woody
Green Wombat 
California passed legislation banning the electric companies from buying electricity from coal plants without retrofits.
Most of those coal companies are in Utah. I guess Utah saw the writing on the wall and they will following the great state of California.
For all the naysayers around the red states, as California goes the rest of the country goes.
The liberals like always setting the pace for progressive change.