Bold Climate Action In Maryland, Oregon

The governors or Maryland and Oregon announced this month bold steps toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Under a new program supported by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Oregon would have one of the world's toughest greenhouse gas limits, affecting everything from industry smokestacks to car tailpipes.

Kulongoski said action to limit carbon dioxide emissions in Oregon could lead to a new, more robust economy based on environmentally friendly energy, transportation and housing.

In a similar step in the right direction, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said that his state is also poised to help shape national environmental policy by passing legislation to curb pollutants linked to global warming.

At a news conference on the lawn of the governor's mansion, Gov. O'Malley called Maryland, with its abundant shoreline, the "fourth-most-vulnerable state in America" with respect to global warming.

If global warming continues unabated, projected rising sea levels will significantly reshape the region's coastal landscape, threatening waterfowl hunting and recreational saltwater fishing in Virginia and Maryland.

National Wildlife Federation’s recent report, Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay, which shows in detail the dramatic effects of sea-level rise on the nation's largest estuary, which sustains more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals including great blue herons and sea turtles.

Visit http://www.nwf.org/sealevelrise/chesapeake.cfm to view the full report.