Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen praised those governors meeting today at Yale for doing what President Bush has failed to do: take action to combat global climate change.

“No matter what the president said Wednesday about his global warming commitment, many of America’s governors aren’t buying. Long ago they gave up hope of White House leadership on the subject and, today, are taking matters into their own hands,” Van Noppen said.

“The governors are helping to create a national clean energy agenda that rejects our addiction to oil and gas, and puts us on course to invest in clean, sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. They, like us, are extremely concerned about greenhouse gas emissions, from vehicles and coal-fired power plants, that the administration refuses to control or won’t let states control.”

More importantly, Van Noppen said, the governors are helping set this country on course to be a world leader in combating climate change.

“Our country has long needed an energy policy that embraces the principle that we are citizens of a world in crisis with a collective responsibility to help solve it. More than a few governors have obviously reached that conclusion, and by their actions give us hope that our nation at long last may follow.”