Environment DEC
From the February 2009 issue
New York Joins 11-state Effort to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fuels
New York and 10 other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states will cooperate to develop a regional "Low Carbon Fuel Standard" to reduce the carbon concentration in fuels used in vehicles and buildings, DEC and New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) officials announced recently. The 11 states-Pennsylvania and the 10 members of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)-will work together to create an emissions-performance standard that eventually will provide incentives for energy providers to use low-carbon fuels, which will result fewer greenhouse gas emissions and aid in the fight against global warming.
Grannis: "Climate change is the issue of our time..."
"Climate change is the issue of our time and once again states are leading the way in the absence of federal action," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. "By taking steps to reduce the amount of carbon in fuels, we can lay the groundwork for progress in the fight against global warming. The success of RGGI shows these states can work together to make change happen."
Last week, officials from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont signed a statement to jointly tackle the challenge of reducing greenhouse gases from fuels. Over the past six months, the states have begun to examine how a low-carbon fuel standard could be implemented regionally, creating a larger market for cleaner fuels, reducing emissions associated with climate change, and supporting development of clean-energy technologies.
Market-based, Technologically Neutral
Transportation fuels, as well as those used for heating and electricity generation would be affected by the new standard.
The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) initiative envisions the creation of a market-based, technologically-neutral policy (does not favor one technology solution over another) to address the carbon content of fuels. In addition to covering vehicle fuels, a low-carbon standard potentially could apply to fuel used for indoor heating, industrial processes and electricity generation. In the transportation sector, such a standard could potentially encourage the use of electric-powered vehicles and biofuels that have a lower-carbon footprint than traditional fuels, based on a full life-cycle analysis. The effort will discourage the use of biofuels that are likely to cause negative impacts, such as those that affect food commodity markets or take land that would be better used for food production.
The joint statement notes that the interconnected nature of fuel distribution in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions favors a regional approach to a LCFS. The LCFS effort is also a natural outgrowth of RGGI, a groundbreaking program that covers carbon dioxide emissions from electric power plants. The 10 RGGI states have already enacted regulations that cap CO2 emissions in the power sector, and have also held two auctions of pollution allowances in 2008 as part of the first market-based, mandatory cap-and-trade program in the U.S.
The 11 states will collaborate with the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), which is conducting a study of a LCFS for the region. The states also agree to work cooperatively with other states and the federal government, and to seek to influence the design of any federal LCFS or other proposed fuels policy.
See the complete press release upon which this story is based for the comments of other officials present at this announcement.
Related Links:
NY Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) (leaving DEC's website)
Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) (leaving DEC's website)
