Iowa joins suit seeking to cut gas emissions Eight states are claiming five of the nation's power firms are contributing to the warming of the Earth. By TONY LEYS <mailto:[log in to unmask]> REGISTER STAFF WRITER July 22, 2004 Iowa joined seven other states and New York City on Tuesday in suing the nation's five largest power companies for allegedly contributing to global warming. The lawsuit claims that the companies are helping change the Earth's climate by spewing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Many scientists believe that a growing layer of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases traps heat that otherwise would escape into space. They're warning that the problem could lead to catastrophic weather changes. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said he and several of his colleagues decided to act after the federal government declared that it didn't have the legal authority to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions. "Global warming is an important issue for our country, for our state and for our world," Miller said. He said the consequences for Iowa could include droughts that would devastate the farm economy. Carbon dioxide is emitted by every power plant, car and other machine that burns coal, gasoline or oil. All mammals - including this newspaper's readers - emit the gas every time they breathe. Miller said the lawsuit targets the nation's five biggest offenders, who together produce 10 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide. "It's a place to start," he said. The petition, filed in New York, doesn't ask for money. Instead, it seeks to have a judge order electric companies to cut their emissions of carbon dioxide. Miller said possible solutions include improvements at coal-fired plants and increased use of windmills. A spokesman for one of the five companies being sued said his firm already was taking those steps. "We are very proud of our environmental record," said Paul Adelman of Minnesota-based Xcel Energy. For example, he said, his company is spending $1 billion to rebuild three coal-fired plants. It also is adding to its windmill farms, which already are the second largest in the nation. By 2009, Adelman said, the measures will trim 7 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of electricity the company produces. Miller's deputy, Tam Ormiston, said the promised improvements were welcome, but he called Xcel's environmental record spotty, adding that the lawsuit could help hold the company to its pledges. Tuesday's announcement was hailed by environmentalists, who have been critical of the federal government's inaction. "This lawsuit alone will not stop global warming - but it is an important first step," the Sierra Club said in a statement. But a pro-business group called the lawsuit "irresponsible political grandstanding." "Although the lawsuit alleges harm to the public, the real harm is not the utility companies that provide electricity to tens of millions of consumers, but this lawsuit," the Competitive Enterprise Institute said. "It would force consumers in other states to pay much higher prices for electricity." The other four companies being sued are American Electric Power Corp., Southern Co., Tennessee Valley Authority and Cinergy Corp. None is based in Iowa. The seven other states bringing the suit are California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Miller said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is leading the effort, which should keep Iowa's expenses to a minimum. All eight of the attorneys general involved are Democrats, but Miller denied that was evidence of a political stunt aimed at embarrassing Republicans running the federal government. He noted that New Hampshire's Republican attorney general supported the move. "It should not be seen as a partisan issue," he said. Tarah Heinzen Sierra Club Conservation Organizer 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 251-3995 [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Make your voice heard! Find out how to get Take Action Alerts and other important Sierra Club messages by email at: http://www.sierraclub.org/email