House passes resolution on climate-change group

Rep. Mike Noel on Tuesday railed against Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s membership in the Western Climate Initiative, citing separation of powers issues.

On the House floor, he presented a resolution calling for the state to pull out of the coalition dedicated to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and cited his disbelief that climate change is a product of "man-made" circumstances. The resolution re-visits an issue raised in the 2008 legislative session on the state executive decision process.

The House passed the resolution, HR3, on an essentially party-line vote of 51-19, and it will head to the Senate for further consideration.

Noel, R-Kanab, told the assembly that Huntsman had exceeded his executive powers in joining the Western Climate Initiative, a group formed in 2007 and made up of seven Western-state governors and four Canadian premiers. Noel said Huntsman should have sought legislative approval before joining.

"The governor made the decision independently, without the legislative authority to do that, to join the Western Climate Initiative," Noel said. "I do not believe he has the authority to make decisions independent of this body that, in fact, could impact the economic viability of this state."

Noel said the governor instead should have chosen to take an observer role — as Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado have done — to stay engaged in the conversation on greenhouse-gas issues without obligating Utah to decisions made by the body.

House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-West Valley, grilled Noel on his stance during the debate, asking him who to define who is responsible for making Utah public policy.

Noel acknowledged it is a function shared by both the legislative and executive branches, but anything that carries a possible fiscal impact is subject to legislative approval.

"I think it's a dual role," Noel said. "The executive branch does have a role in the process. If there's an appropriations request ... a process that results in monies ... it is our responsibility to decide if they're appropriate for the state of Utah."

Noel argued that the cap-and-trade policy being pursued by the Western Climate Initiative would impact Utah to great degree because the state relies heavily on high-emission coal-generated power. The policy is a tool to limit greenhouse-gas emissions by setting "caps" on output and allowing industry to "trade" credits accrued by falling under the limits.

Noel also discounted the argument that climate change is a product of pollutants.

"I do not believe in man-caused global warming," Noel said. "Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant."

Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake, disagreed with Noel's assessment of the environment and likened the argument to two people encountering an elephant in the dark, with one feeling a leg and calling it a tree, and the other feeling the trunk and calling it a rope.

"The elephant is there," she said. "And the elephant is climate change."

E-mail: araymond@desnews.com