Beebe: Need global effort on warming
Posted on Saturday, January 3, 2009
Gov. Mike Beebe on Friday told radio show callers skeptical about global warming that he believes the phenomenon is real, but thinks Arkansas shouldn't tackle it alone.
Responding to a caller on the Arkansas Radio Network who expressed reservations about "carbon footprint" legislation, Beebe said he favored a regional, national and global approach to dealing with carbon emissions but said he agreed with scientists who say the climate is warming.
"I do think global warming is an issue," Beebe said.
Carbon dioxide is among the greenhouse gases some scientists believe contribute to climate change.
Later in the show, Beebe re- sponded to another caller who called global warming a "hoax" by repeating his support for alternative fuels such as cellulosic ethanol.
Beebe told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in December that he planned to support "15 or 16" of the recommendations offered by the Governor's Commission on Global Warming, although he didn't specify which ones he would back.
In October, the commission released its final report with 54 recommendations.
One suggestion was that Beebe stop construction of a coal-fired power plant in southwest Arkansas. Beebe has said he doesn't have the authority to intervene in the Hempstead County plant being built by Southwestern Electric Power Co. But he also said he doesn't want to see any more coal plants in the state.
Beebe told one caller upset about possible environmental restrictions in a poor state that Arkansas recently climbed to 47th in per-capita income from 48th.
"We just passed Utah," Beebe said, adding that the state was close to passing two other states.
Beebe also repeated his priorities for the legislative session that begins Jan. 12: another 1 percent off the state sales tax on groceries and creation of a statewide trauma system.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
