Environmentalists See Flaws in Pollution Credit Program

Sightline on the Western Climate Initiative

Environment advocates on Thursday charged the West Coast's leading-edge effort to curb global warming would let polluters off the hook and allow utilities, industry and fuel distributors to get credits to emit greenhouse gases mostly for free.

Environment Oregon, the Sightline Institute and the National Wildlife Federation said they expect that the plan will allow participating states and provinces to auction fewer than 25 percent of the available pollution credits, giving the remainder away.