Voluntary Emissions Bill Praised By Environmentalists

The Credit for Voluntary Reductions Act of 1999, legislation that would provide credit to companies and communities that reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, has received support from the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Eleven U.S. senators are cosponsoring the measure. The proposed legislation would award credit to companies and communities that take voluntary steps to reduce their overall domestic greenhouse gas emissions below specified levels prior to the introduction of any mandatory domestic greenhouse gas regulatory requirements. These credits could be saved for use in meeting future domestic emissions reduction requirements, or purchased by others that might need them to help manage their own reduction obligations. "While political change is slow, the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere isn't," says Fred Krupp, EDF's executive director. "These senators have provided the much-needed bipartisan breakthrough that can jump-start emissions reductions."