As the new home of MASSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Massachusetts can be contacted regarding this news release.
Standing
in front of a 20-foot, inflated model of the earth in Amherst today,
the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group called on the state
legislature to pass the Global Warming Bill. This legislation would
rejoin Massachusetts to a regional agreement to cut global warming
pollution from power plants. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or
RGGI, currently includes eight states from Maryland to Maine. Governor
Romney backed Massachusetts out of this plan last winter.
“Massachusetts
has a proud history of being one of the most progressive states in the
nation, and it is unacceptable that we’ve fallen behind the rest of the
region in addressing this profound issue.” said Campaign Director Maura Finigan.
2005
was the warmest year ever recorded, and the early effects of global
warming are evident across the U.S. and worldwide. Left unchecked,
global warming promises more severe storms, rising sea levels, and more
smog pollution throughout Massachusetts. The Bay State already loses 65
acres of coastline every year due to rising sea levels.
RGGI
has widespread support, including from four Democratic governors (ME,
NJ, NH, DE), and four republican governors (VT, CT, NY, MD). The
program is supported by Chris Gabrieli, Deval Patrick, and Tom Reilly,
as well as the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation.
The
program would use a market-based cap-and-trade-system to limit carbon
dioxide emissions from power plants. The program would cap emissions of
carbon dioxide from power plants by 2009, hold them level through 2015,
and require ten percent reductions by 2019.
In
response to concerns already raised by the business community and power
plant owners, the program has built-in flexibility mechanisms: it does
not start until 2009, it allows the use of pollution “off-sets” and it
has price triggers in place that expand the flexibility mechanisms if
the cost of compliances goes above certain levels.
A
number of elected officials from the Pioneer Valley strongly support
this legislation, including including Senator Rosenberg, Representative
Kocot, Representative Kulik, Representative Scibik, Representative
Guyer, and Representative Story.
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MASSPIRG is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.
