CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

ALBANY, NY (08/11/2008; 1437)(readMedia)-- The New York State Environmental Board today approved regulations to implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is an initiative begun in December 2005 by 10 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to enact regulations to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

New York and the other RGGI states have designed the first market-based, mandatory cap-and-trade program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a simple and constructive way. The states have committed to cap and then reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that power plants in their region are allowed to emit, limiting the region's total contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas levels.

"Today's action is the culmination of extensive work by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and our state partners to respond to the challenges posed by climate change," said Pete Grannis, DEC Commissioner and Environmental Board Chairman. "With the approval of the RGGI regulations today, we have enacted a key component of Governor David A. Paterson's plan to move New York towards a clean energy economy and ensure a healthier environment for our entire region."

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