Huntsman said the memorandum brings the two states together as never before in achieving goals concerning climate change. "This will set the stage for much-needed improvements ... in our air quality, and in our state making meaningful contributions in addressing climate change."

Utah should be at the vanguard on the issue, he said. Working together, states of the region can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, encourage new economic initiatives that create jobs and move more rapidly toward energy independence for the United States, according to Huntsman.

He cited "advanced research" at the University of Utah on carbon sequestration, which could help to reduce pollution from power plants. Such technology might offer a way to continue using coal, of which Utah is an important producer, without releasing dirty air.

"Our air isn't just ours," Huntsman said. "It blows in from other states and other regions. The same happens with our water.

"And as the old saying goes, 'We all live downstream.'"

If the region does nothing, Huntsman added, it will suffer from climate change because of prolonged droughts, decreased snowfall and more severe wildland fires. "We can either be part of a regional solution ... or we can maintain the status quo, which for this state and this governor is totally unacceptable."

Schwarzenegger called the agreement "this historic initiative to fight global warming."

Westerners understand how the climate can jeopardize precious resources, he said. "Higher temperatures are an economic threat to all of us," he added.

"We need to do everything that we can in order to do things and create the action, rather than just stay and cry," Schwarzenegger said. "I think that's what leadership is all about, and that's what Gov. Huntsman has shown — great, great leadership."

With 5 percent of the world's population, the United States is emitting 25 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. The federal government "has failed to act so it is up to us, the states, to really step up and to lead, and to set an example for the rest of the nation and the rest of the world."

Tim Wagner of the Sierra Club's Utah Chapter called the agreement a positive development.

"It clearly indicates that the state is finally stepping up to the plate, in a big way, to start addressing this very serious issue of climate change," he said.

Wagner added that this indicates a strong willingness by Huntsman to "take a leadership role" for which he will be highly regarded for a long time.

But Sen. Darin Peterson, R-Nephi, had questions about the pact. Implementing any significant new pollution controls likely would require legislative action.

Peterson stressed that he is not sure of all the details, so he needs to be careful, but he has concerns.

"It's clear to me that man's influence on the environment is so limited that we could ruin an economy chasing something we could never catch," he said Monday afternoon.

"The biggest greenhouse gas is water vapor." Chasing after controls of greenhouse gases "makes me very nervous," he added.

Peterson, chairman of the Senate's Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee, said people should work for economic improvements "rather than chase those skeletons."

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