Wash. state governor to launch greenhouse gas bill

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire said on Monday she plans to introduce legislation to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent in 2050 from 1990 levels.

Under the legislation, Gregoire will direct the state's ecology department to create a regional cap and trade market for carbon emissions that would allow companies to buy and sell pollution credits within an overall cap in emissions.

It would also require companies and government agencies in Washington to report their greenhouse gas emissions. Gregoire expects emissions reporting to start in 2010 for 2009 measurements.

Washington is the latest state to pledge to fight global warming. Nine U.S. Midwest states agreed to form a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in November and other states have pledged to regulate carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, at power plants.

In the short term, Washington aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels from current levels by 2020.

The legislation also calls for the creation of a training program to increase the number of clean-energy jobs. The governor aims to increase "green" sector jobs to 25,000 from 8,400 in 2004.

(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi; Editing by Braden Reddall)