SAN FRANCISCO - Today the Western Climate Initiative unveiled a set of concrete steps it is taking over the next year to link partner cap and trade programs. Those steps are outlined here.

The following statement by James Goldstene (California) and Jim Whitestone (Ontario), co-chairs of the Western Climate Initiative was issued following the public stakeholders' meeting of the WCI in San Francisco.

"At today's public stakeholder meeting the partners in WCI demonstrated a commitment to address climate change with a clear path towards a linked program to reduce greenhouse gases. This will create the largest carbon market in North America and provide a model that can guide future efforts to establish a creative roadmap for future national approaches in both Canada and the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This marks a significant step forward in our efforts to fight climate change. It will help clean the air, create new jobs, and establish WCI as a leader in the effort to reduce our dependence on petroleum and move toward a clean energy future."