This bilateral relationship could be a “positive anchor” for overall U.S.-China relations, possibly easing dialogue on such issues as trade and the Korean peninsula, said Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for climate change.

Stern said he expected no signed document from meetings he will have in China next week, but that in the future, the areas for possible partnership include energy efficiency, electric vehicles and carbon capture and storage.

“I do not expect to have a big deliverable or a big agreement to wave around at the end of the trip, but this trip is one piece of what is going to be an extended interaction with the Chinese at all levels,” he said. “So yes, the vision that we have is of a clean energy and climate partnership bilaterally with the Chinese.”

China is now the world’s biggest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide, in large part because of its fast-growing economy and its reliance on coal. The United States is second.

While China is curbing its carbon intensity — the measure of greenhouse emissions as related to economic output — its absolute emissions are soaring, Stern said, adding that China now emits about four times as much carbon as the United States does for every unit of its GDP.

Stern sets off for China on Saturday, along with White House Science Adviser John Holdren, the U.S. Energy Department’s David Sandalow and other officials.

The envoy told a gathering at the Center for American Progress that China needs to “rebalance its economy” to cut down on polluting industries and to increase environmentally cleaner alternatives, especially to coal-fired power plants. 

Go to Reuters.uk for more…

http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.cfm

“Through the President’s stimulus package, green initiatives will play a significant role in powering economic recovery,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “EPA’s portion of the plan will create good, sustainable jobs that help produce cleaner drinking water, purer air, environmentally friendly urban and rural re-development, and reduced greenhouse gases. This is a perfect example of economic growth and environmental protection working hand in hand to the benefit of all Americans.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 specifically includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs administered by EPA. These programs will protect and promote both green jobs and a healthier environment. These environmental areas include:

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $4 billion for assistance to help communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure needs. A portion of the funding will be targeted toward green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects.
• Brownfields: $100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.
• Diesel Emissions Reduction: $300 million for grants and loans to help regional, state and local governments, tribal agencies, and non-profit organizations with projects that reduce diesel emissions.
• Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanup: $600 million for the cleanup of hazardous sites.
• Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: $200 million for cleanup of petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks.

The new law is geared for performance and unprecedented transparency: preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and EPA intends to move designated funds to states as quickly as possible. All funding will be monitored by EPA’s Inspector General, which will receive $20 million for oversight and review. Announcements of grants will be posted on the Web to ensure transparency. The state-by-state distributions for clean water and drinking water state revolving funds are also available on the Web.

For new information on the state-by-state distributions for clean water and drinking water state revolving funds: http://www.epa.gov/recovery

Resource: Unites States Environmental Protection Agency

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