New Hampshire Takes Action to Reduce Climate-Altering Carbon Pollution

Environment New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — On December 3rd, New Hampshire’s Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules finalized improvements to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a pioneering effort to clean up climate-altering carbon pollution from power plants. The rules, which go into effect on January 1st, will reduce power plant pollution in the region by 15 percent with the decade.
“We commend Governor Hassan, Commissioner Burack of the Department of Environmental Services, and the state legislature for helping to protect our children and future generations from the impacts of global warming,” said Travis Madsen, Senior Program Manager for Environment New Hampshire. “RGGI is an important piece of our regional strategy to curb carbon pollution. We look forward to working with the state to continue the success of this important program.”

New Hampshire is one of 10 states that joined together to form RGGI. The program provides a strong example for how states across the country can control carbon pollution – just as they have successfully reduced emissions of arsenic, lead, soot and other types of power plant pollution.
RGGI member states have successfully cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 40 percent since 2005. At the same time, the program has generated funding for clean energy programs, which are accelerating the rate at which the region is moving away from polluting fossil fuels. The program boosted regional net economic output by $1.6 billion and created 16,000 jobs in its first two and a half years of operation, including $17 million in economic benefits and 450 jobs in New Hampshire.

In February, New Hampshire and 8 other states announced a new agreement to make deeper cuts in power plant carbon emissions. December’s action locks into place a stronger limit on climate-altering pollution. Through 2020, the new limit will prevent as much pollution as would be emitted by 16 million cars. At the same time, it will generate more than $8 billion in economic benefits, including energy bill savings, and more than 120,000 job-years of employment across the region.

This year, under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants. On December 2, New Hampshire and the other RGGI states submitted comments to EPA, offering the RGGI program as a proven, cost-effective “benchmark for national action.”

“We commend New Hampshire and the other RGGI states for working constructively with EPA in support of meaningful nationwide emissions reductions,” said Madsen. “We hope that all states can learn from our region’s success in cleaning up dirty power plants.”