SAN FRANCISCO – Three West Coast states, plus British Columbia, inked an agreement to work together on climate-change policies, the San Jose Mercury News. Governors from Washington, Oregon and California, and the premier of British Columbia, will coordinate policies aimed at lowering global warming.

The four entities agreed to streamline wind and solar project permits, improve integration of the electric power grid, support more ocean acidification research and enlarge state electric vehicle purchases, among other things. “You are witnessing a historic small-but-powerful first step,” said California Gov. Jerry Brown. “Next year and the year after and the year after that, this will spread until finally we get a real handle and grasp on what is the world's greatest existential challenge — the stability of our climate, on which we all depend.”

However, the pact’s goals won’t be realized immediately. For example, California is operating on a cap-and-trade law signed in 2006, while British Columbia has a carbon tax law that increased the price of gasoline but slashed personal income and corporate taxes.

Signers of the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy have said they will embrace new carbon emissions rules approved by the Obama administration that will make it extremely hard to build new electricity plants fired by coal. The president will put forth new rules in 2014 that will encompass current power plants, and likely increase the cost of electricity in coal-dependent states.

“Along the West Coast, we have collectively recognized that a clean economy, energy efficiency and green building provides probably the only path that we have to a sustainable future,” said Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.