Greenhouse bill aims for lower emissions

A bill introduced Thursday in the N.C. House could provide $300,000 to help industries lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill aims to keep businesses informed about the effects of global warming and to encourage voluntary reporting on emissions so officials can collect better data on global warming in North Carolina.

Most scientists agree that emissions of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases,” most of which come from power plants and agriculture, contribute to a rise in the Earth’s temperature. This phenomenon is known as global warming.

Rep. Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe, one of the sponsors of the bill, said a researcher from N.C. State University convinced him to file the bill.

“He came to my office two or three times, and I told him that I had already filed a lot of bills, but he came back again,” he said.

Tolson said he thinks the money appropriated by the bill would address an important problem.

The last full-fledged report on greenhouse gases in the state was published in 1990.

Tom Mather, a spokesman for the N.C. Division of Air Quality, said global warming is a problem that can’t be solved by a state or local government. But he added that the bill, if passed, could give valuable information in that fight.

“What North Carolina is doing right now is we’re trying to assess the problem, the situation here,” he said. “How much is North Carolina contributing to these problems, and what are potential things we could do down the road?”

He said that the Division of Air Quality keeps track of greenhouse gases but that there is no agency currently active in collecting data from industries.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, power plants in North Carolina are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s Web site reports that fossil fuel combustion accounted for 99 percent of carbon dioxide emissions when the 1990 study was performed.

The state’s 14 coal-burning power plants emitted 4.8 metric tons carbon equivalent per capita in 1990, compared to emissions of 6.4 MTCE per capita for the entire country, according to the EPA.

If the bill is enacted, statewide seminars would be held every year to increase awareness of global warming and the role of greenhouse gases, encouraging industries in North Carolina to take steps to reduce emissions.

Neal Lineback, professor of geography at Appalachian State University, said the most important aspect of the bill is that it will inform industries about greenhouse gases and how to reduce them.

“I’m appalled at the fact that people don’t recognize this greenhouse gas problem,” he said. “The biggest thing we need to do is let people know that this is a fact and it’s going to happen.”

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