Gov. Kaine Interview

My energy and climate change discussion with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine aired today on Clean Skies Sunday (Sunday mornings, 9:30 AM, on the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC). The main topic in my mind, his effort to implement an emission-reduction system for the 16 states comprising the Southern Governors Association.
Gov. Kaine is the incoming chairman of the executive committee, so he should wield some imfluence in the coming year, but he tells me he isn't sure what kind of system would work best. RGGI (10 states) held its first allowance auction this fall. The Western Climate Initiative (7 member states, 5 observers) seems to be next in line, with the Midwestern Governors Association (12 states) after that. If the SGA's 16 states go cap-and-trade, federal legislation may be more organizational than authoritative.
Second area of interest, offshore exploration for natural gas and oil. The federal moratorium banning drilling in the Outer Continentail Shelf expired with a whimper on September 30th, effectively throwing open the Virginia coast (and all others on the Atlantic and Pacific) to within three miles of shore. Gov. Kaine told me he wants exploration only outside of a 50-mile buffer zone, the same thing we heard from Democratic House leaders this summer. We'll see what changes if/when comprehensive mapping reveals any major plays within the sightlines of popular beaches.
Final big-picture topic with the Governor, the future of coal-fired generation. That's the source of roughly 45% of Virginia electricity according to the EIA, and the state's the nation's 11th-leading coal producer (also EIA 2007). Gov. Kaine says carbon capture and storage is critical, as does virtually everyone else now holding office, though the guesses I hear seem to point to 2020.
On Monday I saw Thomas Friedman at CAP saying definitively that CCS would not happen by 2020, simply because we'll find another technology that will do the job even better. His point? Wish in one hand, enterprise like crazy in the other, and see which captures cabon first.
You can see my entire interview with Gov. Kaine on Clean Skies TV's Interactive Programming Guide (just surf a little): <http://cleanskies.tv/#>