Press Releases
Kuster, Tsongas to EPA: Northeast Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a Model for the NationIn a letter signed by 41 Representatives of nine northeast states, Kuster and Tsongas call on EPA Administrators to use the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as a guide for developing strong pollution standards for the nation’s existing power plants
Washington, DC,
February 4, 2014
Continuing their efforts to combat climate change, Congresswomen Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Niki Tsongas (MA-03) led a group of northeast lawmakers calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to look to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as a model for their efforts to curb carbon pollution across the country. RGGI is a cooperative effort among New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, and Maryland to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, a key driver of climate change. Since the program took effect in 2005, the RGGI states have seen a 40 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and they are on track to reduce emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2020. In a recent letter sent to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Kuster, Tsongas and 39 other northeast lawmakers cited RGGI as a proven model for cutting carbon pollution and driving economic development, while protecting the public’s health and our environment. The lawmakers encouraged the EPA to look toward the program as the agency works to set federal standards to cut carbon pollution from the nation’s existing power plants. “As the first market-based regulatory program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we believe that RGGI and our states offer a unique perspective that will be beneficial to your efforts,” Kuster, Tsongas, and the other lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to use the RGGI experience as a benchmark for what is possible on a national level, and to work with RGGI to develop a flexible national standard that will significantly reduce carbon emissions while encouraging regional cooperation and providing equitable treatment for states that have been leading the way on this issue.” The EPA is currently developing emissions standards under the Clean Air Act to reduce harmful carbon pollution from existing and modified power plants. The standards, which will be formally proposed this summer, are being developed in concert with EPA’s proposed rules for limiting carbon pollution from new power plants. The legislators’ letter to the EPA echoes a December 2013 letter from the energy and environmental agencies of the nine RGGI states, which encouraged regional cooperation and offered initial recommendations. The full text of the letter is included below. January 31, 2014 The Honorable Gina McCarthy Dear Administrator McCarthy: Thank you for your efforts to address the challenge of reducing harmful carbon emissions that are jeopardizing human health and threatening our environment. We were pleased to see your agency recently propose standards under the Clean Air Act for new power plants, and we applaud your commitment to develop standards for reducing emissions from existing power plants. As the federal representatives for the nine states that participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, we urge you to work with our states as you develop standards for existing power plants. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cooperative effort among our nine states—Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont—to cap and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector. Since 2005, carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the RGGI region have decreased by more than 40 percent. By 2020, estimates show that carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in our states will be half of what they were in 2005. The RGGI states have locked in these reductions and generated a cumulative total of more than $1.4 billion through quarterly competitive CO2 allowance auctions. The majority of these receipts have been reinvested into individual state programs for energy efficiency, direct energy bill assistance, and climate change adaptation planning to further support the regional clean energy economy. As the first market-based regulatory program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we believe that RGGI and our states offer a unique perspective that will be beneficial to your efforts. We urge you to use the RGGI experience as a benchmark for what is possible on a national level, and to work with RGGI to develop a flexible national standard that will significantly reduce carbon emissions while encouraging regional cooperation and providing equitable treatment for states that have been leading the way on this issue. We thank you for your attention to our request, and look forward to working with you on this and other efforts to protect our environment and our health. Sincerely, Ann McLane Kuster ### |