Felicity Barringer of the New York Times zeroes in on a Brookings Institution study on cities and towns around the U.S. with the smallest per capita carbon footprints, a measure that could point to how different American regions will fare economically, environmentally, and even politically in the decades to come.  California, Oregon and Washington state joined a handful of cities like New York, Boston, Rochester and even Poughkeepsie, NY as population centers whose policies and populations were slowing the growth of global warming.  Population density itself plays a role, given that the study assesses per capita emissions.  But the study noted that Los Angeles, for example, located in a state that has promoted energy efficiency, has low overall carbon emissions in spite of massive automobile use.  It also highlights the harsh reality of state-regulated prices for fuel; Barringer notes that "rate-setting by state regulators has traditionally been geared to make more money for a utility if it sells more electricity.  While rates may remain relatively low, pleasing customers, utilities have little incentive to encourage energy conservation."  The Brookings report, available here, includes policy recommendations covering federal mandates, penalty pricing for high carbon emissions, and increased funding for research as well as mass transit.

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