Pataki, a Tree Hugger?
March 2nd, 2007 by Carbon CoalitionGeorge Pataki remains ambiguous on the question of whether or not he will run for president. “Oh that,” he said to a reporter in NH yesterday. “I’m going to focus on policy, let the politics take care of itself and then make a decision farther down the road.” During his visit to the Granite State yesterday he did make one thing clear: the issue of global warming “cries out for a strong national policy.”
Pataki participated in the “Climate Change and Working Forests” conference in Concord. He spoke about his involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative during the panel ”Climate Change Action by Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations.” He began by explaining that as an owner of 300 acres of forest in upstate New York, he understands first-hand that global warming is already impacting the forest industry. Last year he hoped to log some of his land but couldn’t because it never froze. Pataki went on to say that the forest industry is going to be “a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.” Under RGGI, foresters could receive economic benefits or “credits” in a cap and trade system. Pataki also wants to see investments in new technologies such as cellulosic energy production.
