New Guide Sets Stage for Decision in Maine on Northeast Climate Change; Primer on 7-State Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Contact: Meilissa Carey (Environmental Defense), (207) 780-4932; Joe Carr (University of Maine) (207) 581-3571
Note: UMaine Prof. Jonathan Rubin will be available on Friday to discuss this publication and its implications.
Portland, ME — Environmental Defense today released a guide that will set the stage for the upcoming public discussion over how best to implement a plan to reduce greenhouse gases in the Northeast to ten percent below 2009 levels by 2019. “A Primer for Maine: Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” prepared by the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service and the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and funded by Environmental Defense, provides balanced, accessible information for citizens and decision makers.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, pronounced “Reggie”) is a landmark agreement signed in 2005 by governors in seven northeastern states, including Maine, to reduce greenhouse gases in the region. Over the next several months, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold public meetings to discuss how this initiative will be implemented in Maine.
“With RGGI, the Northeast is leading the country in the search for solutions to global warming,” said Melissa Carey, an Environmental Defense policy specialist in Falmouth. “Our state is one of the first to make decisions about how it will work in practice. That’s why this work by the University of Maine is so important. This report will help ensure that decision makers in Augusta — and the public — have well-informed, balanced, and accurate information.” Drafts of the primer were read and commented on by faculty at campuses across Maine, as well as representatives of the Maine utility companies, Maine DEP, and state environmental groups.
Maine DEP discussions will be held in Bangor on November 28, Portland on November 30 , Augusta on December 19 and Presque Isle on a date to be announced . All meetings are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, including locations, check the DEP website, www.maine.gov/dep.
A PDF of the primer is available at http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/ and http://www.umaine.edu/mcsc, or by calling (207) 581-1648 in Orono or (207) 780-4960 in Portland to request additional copies.