Read more about 2009 winners of the River Warrior Awards at the Oregonian http://tinyurl.com/pxrvg9
and the Marin IJ
http://tinyurl.com/r3soj7

After it rotates into the EU presidency in July Sweden will push for a Europe-wide tax on CO2. France will seek the same nationally in 2011. Sweden considers its own tax scheme on fuel and diesel to have been a success. Europe's emissions trading scheme, the EU's flagship climate instrument, already sets a price on carbon for industrial emissions. But Sweden says this still leaves 60% of emissions untouched and that a tax as the best way to bring them down. The French government is arguing similarly, claiming that emissions trading is not a suitable instrument for reducing emissions from all sources as it can cover only 38% of the country's CO2 emissions. A link to France's Green Plan is available on RRI's website at: http://www.rri.org/greenplans_france.html

Restrictions on industry are expected to be set after 2013 if air quality standards are not met. The particular issues under review are minimizing industry’s need for special permits, whether the air quality standard has the right cost/benefit balance and whether the 2013 timeline is reliable. The review will be conducted as per the national environmental standard development process under the Resource Management Act 1991. The report is due February 2010.