We saw some great strides for clean energy and against global warming in 2008, but there are states where dirty energy, namely coal, continues to be promoted.  There are three Governors who are particularly noteworthy because of their actions on global warming.

Let’s start off with the good news.

The Best of 2008
Kansas – Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
Governor Kathleen Sebelius continues to stand firm against the coal industry and stand up for Kansans. We watched as early in the year she courageously opposed the largest proposed coal plant in the United States – the massive Sunflower coal plant in Western Kansas. If there is an example of bone-headed investment it is this:  building a coal plant in a state with world class wind resources and sending Kansas dollars to Wyoming to buy coal instead of investing in rural Kansas and wind power.  This issue consumed the last state legislative session, with a national audience watching every move.  In the end, after three vetoes by Governor Sebelius, common sense and clean energy prevailed, and the coal plant was defeated.  Congratulations to Gov. Sebelius – we applaud her tireless efforts on behalf of Kansas and against out-of-state coal interests.

The Worst of 2008
Texas – Gov. Rick Perry
Gov. Perry continues to stand in the way of clean energy progress and do everything in his power to thwart progress on solving global warming. First, he does not believe in science and remains a unrelenting global warming denier.  News accounts regularly describe him as “an outspoken skeptic of man-made climate change.”

And he has gone as far as urging President-Elect Obama not to move forward to reduce carbon dioxide emissions: “Perry said…that the notion that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be regulated as a pollutant ‘is a large stretch for some of us that have common sense.'”

More important still, Governor Perry runs a state that emits more carbon dioxide than any in the Union.  And he wants to make the problem worse by approving more new coal plants. Governor Perry is leaving a shameful legacy for the next generation of Texans.

Wildcard
Michigan – Gov. Jennifer Granholm
Gov. Granholm is a wild card.  She is one of the most articulate spokesperson for clean energy and creating green jobs.  She regularly emphasizes that Michigan’s manufacturing future is intricately linked to large investments in clean energy. Yet, Michigan under her watch is proposing to approve more coal-fired power plants than any other state in the nation.

A whopping eight coal plant proposals are rushing through the permitting process and Governor Granholm’s appointees are making all of this happen.  The first project she approved – a new coal plant on the campus of Northern Michigan University.  Last month she proposed approving the next two projects, and there is no end in sight.  We are part of a fantastic coalition slowing down this rush of new coal plants, and to date none have broken ground.  But it would sure be nice if Granholm’s actions matched her rhetoric and she were not aligned with the likes of the Peabody Coal Company.

Time will tell.  By the end of 2009 Gov. Granholm will either emerge as a clean energy champion or she will have done more than any other Governor to undermine President-Elect Obama’s commitment to cut global warming pollution in the United States.  Here is hoping she will channel a little more Sebelius and a lot less Rick Perry.

Bruce Nilles is the director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign.