Press Statement  Statement from Attorney General Maura Healey on States’ Agreement to Further Reduce Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Boston — Attorney General Maura Healey issued the following statement in response to a proposed update to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced yesterday:

“The new RGGI agreement is just the latest way that Massachusetts and the other participating states are stepping up to lead the country in cutting carbon pollution and expanding renewable energy. Now, more than ever, state and local governments need to take charge. I am confident that we can use this agreement to attract new states to our regional compact and expand our impact at this critical time.”

Massachusetts is one of nine states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first market-based regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yesterday, the RGGI states announced their agreement to reduce the RGGI emissions cap by 30 percent from 2020 to 2030. Under the agreement, the 2030 regional cap will be more than 65 percent lower than RGGI’s 2009 starting cap. The agreement also allows states to withhold allowances from auctions if emissions reduction costs are lower than projected.

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in RGGI are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.