ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo last week proposed revised regulations to further reduce harmful power plant emissions. The proposed regulations lower the emissions cap under the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and will serve as a national model for reducing harmful emissions from power plants.
According to the Governor’s office, the rule modifications are the result of a two-year program review by the nine RGGI states, based on electricity system analyses and macroeconomic modeling, as well as extensive dialogue with stakeholders.
Under the RGGI program, emission allowances are sold at auctions and the proceeds are reinvested in projects that support clean energy technologies and greater energy efficiency, and help lower consumer energy bills while driving further reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. It was the nation’s first program to use an innovative, market-based mechanism to cap and cost-effectively reduce the outflow of carbon dioxide that causes climate change.
The proposed regulations have been submitted by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and have been published in the State Register and Environmental Notice Bulletin on July 10. There will be a 60-day public comment period on the proposed regulations.
- View Proposed Regulations and Public Comment Information
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