[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Steve Owens Named Co-Chair of Western Climate Initiative

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Steve Owens Named Co-Chair of Western Climate Initiative

PHOENIX (August 27, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) Director Steve Owens has been selected co-chair of the Western
Climate Initiative (WCI), a multistate, international collaboration to
reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the West.

The WCI was launched in February by Arizona, California, New Mexico,
Oregon and Washington. Those states have since been joined by Utah and
the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba.  Other states
and provinces may join the WCI in the near future.

Director Owens was selected co-chair by representatives of the WCI
member states and provinces by acclamation.

"My selection for this very important position is really an
acknowledgement of Governor Napolitano's leadership on dealing with
climate change in the face of inaction by the federal government," Owens
said. "I am pleased and honored to have been asked to help lead this
critical initiative."

The WCI members agreed to establish a Western regional GHG reduction
goal by the end of August 2007 and design a multisector market-based
mechanism, such as a load-based cap-and-trade program, by the end of
August 2008 to help reach the goal.  Last week, WCI members announced
that they had agreed on a regional goal of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions in the West to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.  WCI
members now are beginning work on meeting the August 2008 deadline for
designing the multisector market-based mechanism.

In addition to his role with the WCI, Director Owens is helping lead
other efforts to reduce GHG emissions as well.  In May, Director Owens
was elected Secretary of The Climate Registry, a GHG emissions registry
consisting of more than 40 U.S. states, tribes, Canadian provinces and
Mexican states.  Director Owens also is chairing Arizona's Climate
Change Executive Committee, which is developing strategies to implement
the recommendations of the Governor's Climate Change Advisory Group.

More information is available on the Arizona Climate Change Initiative
Web site, www.azclimatechange.gov and the Western Climate Initiative
site, www.westernclimateinitiative.org.

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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