It seems the United States may slowly, but surely, catch up with the other half of the world that has decided to save the planet.

Last week in this column, I wrote about the gimmick-ridden practice of selling carbon-offsets to U.S. businesses in order to bolster their hip, "carbon-neutral" status. The business of selling carbon-offsets made me worry if, thanks to capitalism's white-knuckle hold on politics, viable carbon-cutting legislation would ever come to the United States.

Thankfully, despite the utter lack of federal leadership on the issue, 10 states on the East Coast have created the first mandatory carbon cap-and-trade program in the United States. According the New York Times, they aim to reduce emissions from power plants by 10 percent in 10 years. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey have pledged to cut their states' carbon emissions.

A relatively small development and a modest goal to be sure, but progress nonetheless.

Over the last three years, leaders from the 10 states created the program, titled Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which will set a cap on the amount of carbon that the states can emit as a whole.

"Starting in 2009, each state will receive a set amount of carbon credits for its power plants, and each plant must have enough allowances to cover its total emissions at the end of three-year compliance periods," the New York Times reported.

In developing this program, U.S. legislators spent several years observing similar programs in Europe. While the European Union has been stringent in its policies to cut carbon emissions, its efforts have meant multiple challenges as power companies continually seek ways to meet emissions caps and increase profits. Two years ago, power companies in Britain made a ludicrous $1 billion simply by charging their customers more to "meet caps," which essentially cost the companies nothing.

To mitigate such problems, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has made agreements with the affected power companies that will allow them to auction leftover carbon credits to other companies after three years. All proceeds from these auctions would go to state energy-efficiency programs.

Complex? Undoubtedly. Effective? We'll have wait to wait and see.

Fortunately, legislators were intelligent enough to set boundaries concerning the use of carbon offset companies, which provide negligent effects on emissions. Through the program, power companies are limited to five direct categories through which they can offset their emissions: capture of landfill gas, curbs on sulfur hexafluoride leaks, planting of trees, reductions in methane from manure and increased energy efficiency in buildings. And to ensure that power companies are taking impacting steps toward reducing their emissions, actions taken from one of the five categories can only offset 3.3 percent of a plant's total emissions.

The legislators who crafted the program are already helping California and other western states tailor a similar initiative for our region.

Though I loathe encouraging a flood of patchwork, carbon-reduction legislation across the states when serious, wide-scale federal action is necessary, it is wonderful that at least some of our elected officials are stepping up to the plate and tackling the issue.

Perhaps if enough states sign on, make a commitment to emission-reduction and start making real progress toward eliminating the production of greenhouse gases, the federal government will no longer be able to stick its head in polluted sand.

Reach columnist Maureen Trantham at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.