Premier Outlines New Steps to Tackle Climate Change

The provincial government will introduce new legislative measures this fall that will mandate greenhouse gas reduction targets and provide legal tools to implement government's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent below current levels by 2020, announced Premier Gordon Campbell today in his address to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.

• A Climate Action Team will be announced next month, consisting of leaders from environmental organizations, private enterprise, the scientific community, First Nations and academia. This team will determine viable sector targets for 2012 and 2016 by July 31, 2008.
• Legislation will be introduced next spring to allow for the creation of market mechanisms and make B.C. the first province in Canada to legally require “hard caps” on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
• Starting this fiscal year, for every tonne of GHGs associated with official government travel, the Province will invest $25 in a new BC Carbon Trust, to be invested in valid offset projects in B.C.
• Industrial sectoral symposiums will take place around B.C. to discuss GHG emission reduction strategies with forestry, mining, energy, waste and landfills, and agriculture.

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B.C. Provides Additional Tools for Energy Conservation

The B.C. Government will introduce legislation this spring requiring 50 per cent of all new incremental power needs to be offset through conservation by 2020 and will begin the process to seriously consider Site C, announced Premier Gordon Campbell.

• BC Hydro will help customers install "smart meters" that can precisely track and manage power demand. The new technology will allow for "net metering" whereby industrial power producers and residential customers can sell back surplus power.
• The provincial government will introduce legislation to support the new energy plan, such as requiring all new electricity produced to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions and all existing power generation will be required to have net zero GHG emissions by 2016.

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Province Provides $50 Million to Expand Green Transit

The Province will provide an additional $50 million this year for BC Transit to purchase new, clean buses and expand public transit service across B.C., announced Premier Gordon Campbell.

• Premier Campbell confirmed that the provincial government will ensure the Evergreen Line is built as soon as possible, connecting neighbourhoods in Coquitlam, Port Moody and Burnaby with SkyTrain.
• The Province will proceed with the Gateway Program, including the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge, which will re-establish rapid bus service transit across the span for the first time in 20 years.

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