West Coast leaders sign climate pact

Gov. Jerry Brown joined the governors of Oregon and Washington, and the environment minister of the Canadian province of British Columbia, in signing a climate-change agreement on Oct. 28.

Included in the actions that the West Coast states and province—which combined comprise the fifth largest economy in the world—have promised to take are “streamlining permits for solar and wind projects, better integrating the electric power grid, supporting more research on ocean acidification and expanding government purchases of electric vehicles,” according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Also, those signing the pact agree to new rules on carbon emissions from new power plants, effectively making it impossible to build plants that are coal-fired.

“Along the West Coast, we have collectively recognized that a clean economy, energy efficiency and green building provides probably the only path that we have to a sustainable future,” said Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.