– Cuomo Pollution Cap Ignites Development in 62 Counties

August 27, 2013

For Immediate Release: August 27, 2013
Travis Proulx: 518-462-5526 ext. 238 or [email protected]

Cuomo Pollution Cap Ignites Development in 62 Counties

Albany – The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a work-horse, not a show-horse. And while the highly successful program remains largely behind the scenes, an Environmental Advocates NY study of RGGI’s work demonstrates that this nine-state collaborative is:

  • cutting pollution from dirty power plants
  • proving that policies aimed at supporting environmental stewardship and economic growth can be one and the same
  • breaking down bureaucratic hurdles
  • igniting new development in each of New York’s 62 counties and all legislative districts
  • setting the national standard on how to fight climate change and modernize our infrastructure

As the Cuomo Administration currently conducts public hearings on strengthening the program for 2014, Environmental Advocates has released a report documenting how RGGI has had a hand in many of the state’s economic development and energy projects announced since its inception.

Conor Bambrick, air & energy director said, “RGGI is the connective tissue that brings all partners to the table – inside and outside government – moving thousands of projects from concept to completion. We’re not only seeing the carbon cap become a national model in the broader fight against climate change, but the silos that once hindered a projects success are coming down as our infrastructure gets much-needed upgrades, saving consumers hundreds of millions in the process.”

Since 2009, New York has raised more than $450 million, most of which has been dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable power projects – a figure which will likely double as a result of reforms being finalized by the Cuomo Administration.

In addition to bolstering modern investment, RGGI has:

  • Curbed more than 12 million tons of pollution from entering the atmosphere – equivalent to removing 2 million cars from the road.
  • Saved consumers across the nine-state region more than $1.3 billion in energy costs.

Bambrick added, “RGGI has been an economic and environmental success in every region of the state. We have identified development projects in each of New York’s 62 counties. Given this program’s unique role in bringing stakeholders together to act, it’s safe to say a sizeable number of these projects would still be on the state’s wish list were it not for RGGI.”

Regional project totals include:

  • North Country: 749
  • Central New York: 1,583
  • Finger Lakes: 2,706
  • Western New York: 1,461
  • Southern Tier: 1,203
  • Mohawk Valley: 994
  • Capital District: 1,064
  • Mid-Hudson: 1,683
  • New York City: 365
  • Long Island: 1,984

Environmental Advocates’ full report, RGGI: A National Model for Fighting Climate Change, can be found online at https://eany.org/our-work/reports.

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