President-elect Barack Obama, speaking today via YouTube to the Bi-Partisan Governors Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles, reaffirmed his support for a federal cap-and-trade system that would sound very similar to California’s cap and trade system currently being developed by the California Air Resources Board as a part of its AB 32 mandate.
In his remarks, he endorsed a federal cap and trade system, and marked his support for reducing GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
Also notable in his remarks was what he didn’t say. During the presidential campaign, he frequently mentioned a litany of new and old energy technologies, including solar power and wind power and others. Today, while he said we should “tap nuclear power while making sure it’s safe, and develop clean coal technologies,” he left out any mention of “limited offshore oil drilling” as he had mentioned during the campaign – or of any oil drilling for that matter.
