Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Yay for the Meadowlands!

We all know that the Bush Administration refuses to protect the environment by signing on to the Kyoto Protocol. So, here in Northern New Jersey, an unlikely group has taken it upon themselves to join up: The Meadowlands Commission.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission announced Monday that it will adhere to the Kyoto Protocol, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Meadowlands District to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
"By supporting the Kyoto Protocol, we are holding ourselves to an international standard of environmental protection," said Susan Bass Levin, chairwoman of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and New Jersey Department of Community Affairs commissioner, in a press release.
...
The Bush administration has staunchly resisted adopting the Kyoto Protocol. Even so, more than 250 cities and towns nationwide -- including Kearny in the Meadowlands District -- have given their own endorsement, and New Jersey has joined a regional consortium of seven Northeastern-Mid-Atlantic states and several Canadian provinces to abide by Kyoto treaty reduction levels by reducing power plant emissions.
The Meadowlands Commission said that it would enforce the treaty by adopting land-use policies that will reduce sprawl and encourage green building; promoting alternate means of transportation including car pooling and public transportation; preserving open space and wetlands; establishing a renewable energy district, and converting landfill gas into energy.
Woo-hoo!!

The Meadowlands Commission already earned environmental respect in April when they announced that they were planning a massive solar array. This is one more step in the right direction.

2 comments:

Jeri said...

Good for them. It's up to the municipalities to set an example for the federal government, unfortunately.

It takes extra courage to do this for a worldwide problem like global warming. It's one thing for CA to impose strict emissions laws, because their air pollution is so bad. Those laws ultimately serve their own interest.

But what the Meadowlands Commission has done is even better. They're saying Pah! to the Tragedy of the Commons.

Rob S. said...

Y'know, whenever I hear of a "massive solar array," I think of Archimedes' Death Ray.