The methane digester on a Wisconsin dairy farm is the jumping off point for a two-page New York Times story on ways to harness the free market to reduce greenhouse gases. The digester was built with money from a California initiative. “From China to Norway, Kazakhstan to the Northeastern United States, governments are requiring industries to buy permits allowing them to emit set levels of greenhouse gases,” says the Times.
Congress rejected that idea a couple of years ago but 10 states have developed their own programs. “And the approach is expected to get a huge lift on Monday when Mr. Obama unveils a long-awaited national plan requiring states to lower their power plant emissions,” says the story. It examines questions about cost and efficacy of the antipollution regimes.