* New York state governor George Pataki ordered state buildings to get 20% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010. The governor also appointed a task force of industry leaders, state officials and environmentalists to find ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in New York, to combat global warming, and renewed his call for federal emissions standards for older power plants. The announcements set Mr. Pataki apart from his fellow Republican, George W. Bush, and the governor's aides acknowledged that as he approached a re-election campaign next year, it behooved him to distance himself from the president and his increasingly unpopular environmental policies. The governor signed an executive order mandating that state facilities draw at least 10% of their electric needs from renewable sources by 2005, and 20% by 2010 (New York Times, 6/10).
June 17, 2001