Action
Alert
Your Help Needed to Reduce Climate
Change Emissions
Please Write to the Department of Environmental Conservation
Today
Comments Needed by December 24
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
(RGGI) is a regional agreement to cap the amount of
carbon dioxide (CO2) that power plants are permitted to emit.
RGGI is designed to counter the effects of climate change and
produce environmental benefits, such as improved air quality,
forest preservation, and clean energy supply.
In the Adirondacks, rising temperatures caused by climate change
could reduce snow fall
amounts and hurt local economies supported by winter recreational
activities and affect forests by destroying native species and
allowing exotic invasive species to move in. By limiting the
amount of CO2 that can be emitted by power plants, RGGI will
help protect the Park from climate change.
In order to implement RGGI in New York State, the Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) must establish a new regulation.
The draft rule is now out for public comment and you have an
opportunity to improve it. We have heard from government officials
time and time again that a personal letter, phone call or e-mail
from a citizen makes a difference! In fact, it’s the best
way we have to move issues forward. The Adirondack Council
staff has been actively involved in advocating for the new regulation
described below. Now it’s your turn to weigh in!
RGGI - Background
In 2003, former New York Governor George E. Pataki reached out
to 11 northeast states to
develop a regional cap-and-trade program designed to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions from
power plants.
Currently, the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont are actively
participating in the RGGI effort. In addition, the District of
Columbia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, the Eastern
Canadian Provinces, and New Brunswick are observers in the process.
Under RGGI, the participating states will use a cap and trade
approach to achieve the reduction in emissions of greenhouse
gases. This includes a multi-state CO2 emissions cap that will
gradually decrease. The current level of allowed CO2 emissions
will be the same through 2014. Then the emissions cap will gradually
be reduced and by 2019, the cap will be lowered by 10 percent.
The states will also support renewable energy and energy efficiency
solutions and create a marketbased trading system for emission
credits.
RGGI - Problems
1. The “Set-Asides” – The draft policy
sets aside1.5 million tons of CO2 for power plants with long
term contracts. This means if plants meet certain conditions,
they would be entitled to free CO2 allowances. Power producers
would have to prove that buying allowances would jeopardize their
ability to continue operating. They would also have to meet an
emissions threshold of 1100/lbs of carbon per megawatt hour.
If these conditions are met, the company would get free allowances,
if not, the remaining allowances would be available for auction.
The “set-asides” for these plants would make the public
pay for polluters’ lost revenues and costs of doing business.
The “setasides” should be eliminated from the RGGI
policy.
2. The CO2 Cap - The draft policy also establishes a region-wide
cap of CO2 emissions.
Unfortunately, this cap has been set too high at approximately
188 million tons. New York’s portion of the cap would be
about 64.3 million tons, but New York doesn’t emit that
much CO2 right now. A “binding” CO2 cap is crucial
to the program, but the cap in the draft policy has been over
allocated and needs to be lowered.
DEC Needs to Hear From You
Please write a letter to DEC today and tell them how they can
improve RGGI. In
your own words:
- Thank the DEC for their work
on RGGI. The DEC has worked diligently over the last four years
and coordinated with the stakeholders of other states to make
RGGI successful. They need to know that their efforts are appreciated.
- Let the DEC know that while
1.5 million ton “set-aside” is not large when judged
against the total allowance pool, giving any portion of the allowances
away to polluters, rewards the shareholder of these companies,
at the public’s expense.
- Implore the DEC to revisit the
binding cap as soon as possible to determine whether it is set
close enough to current emissions levels. If it is not, the cap
needs to be lowered.
Please Send Your Comments
to:
Michael P. Sheehan, P.E.
NYSDEC
Division of Air Resources
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-3251
(518) 402-8396
E-mail: 242rggi@gw.dec.state.ny.us
To read the draft regulation, visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/38974.html
Written comments can be submitted
until 5:00 p.m. on December 24, 2007
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email
us. Also, please send or email us a copy of your correspondence,
if possible (Our address is below.
Thank you for you help and support!
The DEC is also holding
public hearings around the state in December.
Please consider attending the hearing nearest you.
The DEC needs to hear from as many people who live the Park
as possible.
If you are a Park resident, please attend the hearing in Ray
Brook on December 11 to let DEC know that this issue is important
to you.
Monday, December 10,
2007 - 10:00 am
NYSDEC
625 Broadway - Room 129
Albany, NY 12233
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 1:00 pm
NYSDEC Region 5, Conference Room
1115 Route 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - 10:00 am
NYS Department of Public Service, Board Room
4th floor, 90 Church St.
New York, NY 10007
Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 1:00 pm
NYSDEC Region 8, Conference Room
6274 E. Avon-Lima Road
Avon, NY 14413
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