Iowa Supports Voluntary Midwest Greenhouse Gas Registry

January 26, 2007

Iowa, one of the top 25 green house gas emitting states, has now joined several other Midwestern states in the development of a voluntary Midwest registry for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The initiative is being facilitated by the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO).

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are often called greenhouse gases. Most greenhouse gases are created and emitted solely through human activities and include gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Electric utilities, agriculture, transportation and industry are the source of most green house gas emissions in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest.

“This voluntary registry will allow Iowa companies and industries to quantify emissions and document voluntary reductions aimed at addressing climate change,” said Catharine Fitzsimmons, air quality bureau chief at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The state environmental directors of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin signed a resolution in support of the registry. The resulting effort will provide a GHG reporting platform, provide information to support policy initiatives and assist companies with corporate GHG management strategies. Iowa currently does not require GHG reporting, but the registry system may help industries with future federal regulatory mandates.

Waverly Light and Power currently participates in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program and supports a similar program in Iowa.

“Participating in this program helps us understand the impact we make on climate change and the actions we can take to reduce our emissions,” said Glenn Cannon, general manager at Waverly Light and Power. “The risk is simply too great to not do anything as we believe that greenhouse gas emissions tracking should be a vital component of utility management practices.”

The Midwest GHG Registry is also examining current efforts by the California Climate Action Registry and the Eastern Climate Registry to explore the formation and operation of a multi-state GHG registry.

For more information, visit the LADCO Web site at:
www.ladco.org/regional_greenhouse.htm.