Governors from across the United States will meet at Yale University this week to review state-level programs to combat global climate change and to develop a strategy for future action.

Governors M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas will be in attendance along with Quebec Premier Jean Charest.  About a dozen other governors are exploring whether their schedules will permit participation, but given Schwarzengger's ability to draw a crowd and the fact he will be delivering an address at the conference, it's likely they will find a way to get there.

The main goal of the conference is to advance the implementation of a national greenhouse gas emissions cap and trade system stimulated by mandatory greenhouse gas limits set by states.  The states involved, of which there are 28, plan to use the system to combat global warming and eventually link the US cap and trade market with the international markets already in existence. 

In the absence of federal regulations to impose limits on greenhouse gas production, the state governments have taken it upon themselves to self-regulate and in banding together, to create national standards.

The governors will meet privately for high-level discussions on climate change tomorrow and address the general public on April 18th.

Nobel Laureate Dr. R. K. Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will address the gathering. Several former EPA administrators, including Christine Todd Whitman and Carol Browner, will also be part of the dialogue.

President Bush has always opposed mandatory greenhouse gas emission limits although his policies in the arena have evolved over the years.  Originally, Bush rejected the entire premise of global warming.  Over time, the policy shifted to acceptance that global warming does exist and is exacerbated by human acts.  

This afternoon, Bush plans to announce plans for a national greenhouse gas curtailment policy. A staunch opponent of any mandatory emissions cap, the President will lay out a strategy for limiting greenhouse gas emissions through voluntary measures, mostly in an attempt to prevent Congress or the nation's governors from imposing tougher sanctions on emitters.