Washington (Platts)--15Nov2012/243 pm EST/1943 GMT

A study by the Center for Climate Strategies released Thursday found eight policy actions at the local, state and national level to increase energy efficiency, boost renewable energy resources, improve transportation and manage land were doing more to reduce US carbon dioxide pollution than the country's natural gas boom.

Energy efficiency building codes, state renewable portfolio standards and national improved car mileage standards among other policy actions account for about 46% of the projected greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2020, while switching to cheaper natural gas, which emits about half the carbon of traditional coal-fired power plants, accounts for about 6% of projected GHG reductions, the center's study said.

State and national policies that support renewable energy over fossil are expected to reduce carbon pollution by 7% alone by 2020, it said.

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At 22%, the downturned economy was seen as the "single largest driver" for cutting carbon emissions, but the center said the economy will play less of a role in emissions reductions beyond 2020.

By 2030, these local, state and federal level energy and transportation policies already in place are projected to contribute to GHG emissions reductions by 58%, according to the center's analysis.

The Washington center analyzed 20 policies pertaining to energy across the country and their impact and all economic sectors plus data from the US Environmental Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook to draw its conclusions.

Among the other eight specific policies and their GHG reductions projected by 2020 by the center were state energy efficiency portfolio standards at 12%, national corporate average fuel economy standards for vehicles at 11%, transport renewable fuel programs at 65 and provisions in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 at 4%.

"Our study shows that actions from the city to federal level are working; these programs are already lowering greenhouse gas emissions and helping better protect our country from climate change-related impacts," said Tom Peterson, president of the non-profit climate analysis group in Washington, in a statement.

"These are not far-off solutions still being tested in a lab or on a computer. These are practical approaches that not only help fight climate change but also create new markets and investments, protect our national energy security, and make communities safer and more sustainable," he said.

--Cathy Cash, cathy_cash@platts.com
--Edited by Richard Rubin, richard_rubin@platts.com

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