To Spur Regional Plans, RGGI Seeks More 'Equity,' Stricter ESPS Target

摘要

The nine states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) cap-and-trade program are praising the "basic structure" of EPA's proposed climate standards for existing utilities, while urging greater "equity" among state emission targets in part to encourage other states to join RGGI or create their own regional compliance plans. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states - Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont - in jointly filed Nov. 5 comments call for EPA to make several changes that they say would encourage development of regional plans, which "have been recognized as the most cost-effective way for states to reduce power sector [carbon dioxide (CO2)] emissions." The comments are available on InsideEPA.com. Seepage 2 for details. Comments from the RGGI states could receive strong consideration from EPA, which touts multi-state compliance plans as a money-saving approach and explicitly recognized RGGI in the proposed ESPS. EPA Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding, addressing an Oct. 21 event, said the agency would seek to prevent other states from undermining the program, noting that agency Administrator Gina McCarthy was "on the ground floor" of RGGI's development.