Pataki Will Focus U.N. Appointment on Climate

Former New York Gov. Georg Pataki will use his recent appointment as a representative to the United Nations General Assembly to talk about climate change, he told the Associated Press. As governor, he got agreement from several Northeast states to join a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, aimed at a new cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide pollution from power plants.

The signature accomplishment has been overshadowed by California's parallel effort in Western states, because that plan includes other parts of the economy in addition to electricity generation -- but Pataki's regional strategy blazed a pioneering trail. Watchers of New York politics have wondered what path Pataki would take after leaving office.

Initial speculation about a bid for the White House have been dismissed. If Pataki could leave a lasting mark on the Bush Administration's policy on global warming, it would be another signature accomplishment on the environment.

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