New York state regulators proposed new rules to accelerate carbon-emission cuts by reducing the number of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) allowances issued to power plants through 2037, reports Diana DiGangi of the Utility Drive. The plan would significantly shrink the CO₂ cap—dropping to about 69.8 million tons in 2027 and declining 89% below the 2024 level by 2037—while eliminating all offset project options. Officials say the changes will drive affordable, effective pollution reductions and strengthen the state’s climate efforts amid federal resistance to renewable energy expansion. The proposal comes as Pennsylvania exits RGGI and includes newly finalized mandatory greenhouse-gas reporting rules for large emitters. Public comment hearings are scheduled for February. DiGangi writes:
New York can more aggressively target its carbon emission reduction goals by reducing the number and scope of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative carbon allowances it issues to the power sector, according to proposed regulations announced Wednesday by state authorities.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, said in a release that the proposed alterations to the state’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative regulations would “achieve affordable and effective reductions in pollutants” while prioritizing energy affordability.
The proposed amendments would reduce the annual budget of CO2 allowances through 2037. […]
The states currently participating in RGGI are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New York’s proposal to strengthen its RGGI regulations comes one month after Pennsylvania left the program as part of a budget deal struck between Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-PA, and state legislators. […]
“In a time when New York and other states are facing federal headwinds, these proposed updates demonstrate a collective solidarity among states,” said NYSERDA’s CEO Doreen Harris in a release.
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