Spitzer Proposes Climage Change Office

Excellent news from Albany. New York Governor Spitzer's first budget includes a proposal to hire 12 climate experts as part of the Department of Environmental Conservation -- two economists, one climatologist and nine environmental program specialists. If approved by the legislature, New York would follow California to become only the second state to have a state-wide climate office. The employees would initially focus on implementing and expanding the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a seven-state initiative to reduce carbon-dioxide releases from power plants and other sources by 2009.