Indiana's dirty little secret: 3rd in nation for CO2 emissions

by: Thomas

Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 11:11:03 AM EST

(See that red dot in our state? That's not a good thing.)

This is probably an appropriate time to remind everyone that a national climate registry was formed that allows states to voluntarily track their carbon emissions. The idea is that this will create a good, uniform model by which pollution can be monitored across the country.

Guess who has refused to join?

The Climate Registry, announced yesterday, establishes methods to track, verify and report heat-trapping gases accurately from state to state, its organizers said.

"You can't manage what you don't measure," said Art Williams, Louisville's air-quality chief who helped develop the registry through his work with the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The states that don't participate could be putting their businesses at a disadvantage, Williams said. For instance, they may not be able to earn compensation for certain pollution cuts under future voluntary or mandatory global warming initiatives, he said.

Indiana state government offices were closed yesterday, and representatives of Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indiana environmental regulators did not return pages or messages.