Alternative Energy

Recently, six governors of their prospective Midwestern states have signed an accord that will establish their states as true leaders in the battle to slow if not halt global warming. What was signed into law is called the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. The accord was signed by the state legislators at the gathering of the Midwestern Governor’s Energy Summit that was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Pfister Hotel.

What it All Means

What this new accord hopes to achieve is to significantly reduce emissions throughout the Midwest. They hope to make their vision a reality by promoting conservation, alternative fuel development and superior energy efficiency. The demand for electricity under this new plan would be reduced by 2-percent by the year 2015 with the intent to further reduce demand at an annual rate of 2-percent.

This plan also demands that all plants that burn coal for their power must confine and store underground the hazardous carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2020. Their ambitious plan for alternative energy sources include having more E85 ethanol gasoline which is more environmentally friendly than conventional fossil fuels, available in at least one third of all gas stations scattered across their vast region by the year 2025.

Joining Together for the Good of the Many

This article gives the impression that even if the United States federal government is slow to implement environmental changes in the way they do business, the individual states are determined to join with the rest of the international community in order to do their part in developing alternative energy sources and aiding in the fight against global warming. Other states have signed on to be observers which mean they may also ratify the accord at a later date and Manitoba, Canada signed the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord into law as well.