August 26, 2005—In a cooperative action, the first of its kind in the nation, officials in nine Northeastern states have come to a preliminary agreement to freeze power plant emissions, according to an article in The New York Times.
The states will reduce emission levels by 10 percent by 2020, the newspaper says. The New York Times attributes the news to a “confidential draft proposal.” Once a final agreement is reached each of the nine states’ legislatures will have to enact it, which is considered likely, according to the article.
The cooperative action came after the Bush administration decided not to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, the article said.
The nine states in the Northeastern agreement are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The article notes that enforcement of emissions controls could result in higher energy prices in the nine states. Officials hope the higher prices can be offset by subsidies and support for the development of new technology that would be paid for with the proceeds from the sale of emission allowances to the utility companies, according to the article.
California, Washington, and Oregon, according to the Times article, are in early stages of exploring a regional agreement similar to the Northeastern plan.
For more information, visit the New York Times Web site. Look for 20/24/nyregion.
