Mass. Agrees To Lower Emissions Cap
Massachusetts and the other eight states comprising the Northeast cap-and-trade program Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) have agreed to strengthen it by lowering the cap on carbon emissions in the region.
RGGI was established in 2009 to reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the regional atmosphere by power plants. Whenever electric generators exceed the RGGI cap, they must auction off credits to continue emitting greenhouse gases. The proceeds from those RGGI auctions are distributed to the participating states, which must use them for clean energy programs such as energy efficiency assessments of homes.
The states agreed Thursday to lower the cap to 91 million tons from 165 million tons, gradually meeting the new goal over six years starting in 2015. Each state must individually approve the new cap through their various processes before the cap goes into effect.
The other RGGI states are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New Jersey had been part of the program but pulled out in 2011.
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