Is Arizona turning into a climate-change dropout?

Under former Gov. Janet Napolitano, the state took a leading role in a series of regional plans to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants believed to be responsible for global warming.

But in the three months since Napolitano left for a Cabinet position in the Obama administration, Republican leaders have branded the initiative anti-business and have introduced bills to block Arizona from adopting the plans.

The discord here and in neighboring states threatens to unravel an agreement that had been held up as a global model barely a year ago. It also exposes the tenuous relationship between environment and politics.

"It's old-school thinking, this idea that if you protect the environment, somehow that's bad for the economy and bad for business," said Sandy Bahr, chapter director of the Sierra Club in Phoenix. "I think that most people who have been paying attention understand if you don't protect the environment, that's really bad for business. Bad air is bad for everyone."

Arizona was one of the founding members of the Western Climate Initiative, a coalition that now includes 11 U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The members agreed to set a regional cap on greenhouse gases, mostly pollution from fossil-fuel sources like power stations, and oversee an emissions-trading system to help polluters comply with the cap.

Most of the U.S. members of the coalition, including Arizona, have also adopted vehicle-efficiency rules that exceed federal standards. The states are awaiting permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce those rules, which would further limit emissions from automobile tailpipes.

The EPA may have strengthened the states' arguments for new standards on Friday when it concluded that greenhouse gases endanger public health and should be regulated under the Clean Air Act. But the decision won't guarantee that a regional plan would succeed and could instead lead to stronger support in Congress for nationwide standards.

Many Republicans opposed Napolitano's aggressive role in the initiative but were unable to block her from acting. When she resigned to take over the Homeland Security Department, critics of the climate plan quickly introduced bills chipping away at Arizona's role.

One measure was aimed at the vehicle-emission standards, which the state Department of Environmental Quality adopted last year. A second, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, was more direct: It prohibited ADEQ from participating in the climate coalition.

At a hearing earlier this year, Biggs made it clear he thought the Legislature should go further.

"I'd rather Arizona not participate," he said. "I would rather they stand up to this steamrolling tank which is running over Arizona. There comes a time when you have to stand up and say, 'No.' At some point you have to have the courage to stand up and protest this thing like the guy did at Tiananmen Square."

Business groups say the emissions-trading program would increase energy costs at a time when most people can't afford higher bills. Carmakers say the proposed emission standards would drive them closer to ruin, especially if only parts of the country adopt the rules.

Despite pressure from legislative leaders, Gov. Jan Brewer has said she wants Arizona to remain active in the climate coalition, if only to maintain a voice in what happens. Her newly appointed ADEQ director took a similarly reserved stand.

Other states in the group are also struggling. Utah's legislature passed a non-binding resolution urging Gov. Jon Huntsman to withdraw from the coalition. Lawmakers in Montana, Oregon and Washington have balked at adopting all of the emissions-trading framework needed for the regional system to work.

So far, only California has adopted the bills as pledged in the agreement. Analysts that have followed the process say the coalition probably couldn't survive if several states broke away, and the emissions program would stumble, largely ineffective without wide participation.

Some state officials already say they want to see what actions Congress and the president take on climate change. President Barack Obama has proposed an ambitious plan that includes many of the elements of the Western initiative, though it faces an uphill battle in the House and Senate.

Environmental groups say Arizona and the other states should push ahead with a regional plan that can address local needs.

"These programs can protect consumers, reduce air pollution and promote public health," said Diane Brown, executive director of Arizona PIRG, an advocacy group. "We need to do something to reduce emissions now or we'll be paying more in the future."