OntheWilderSide

It’s Time to Support New York’s Regional Plan to Cut Global Warming Emissions

Let’s make New York the national leader we can and should be when it comes to global warming.

Tell New York ’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that you support their plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Act today before the agency’s public comment period closes on January 12.
 
New York has led the way, along with neighboring states, to create the country’s first mandatory program to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants—known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We need to make sure the state’s plan gives power producers an incentive to cut greenhouse gas pollution and forces them to pay when they contribute to global warming.

Tell the DEC that you support their plan to sell 100 percent of carbon dioxide emissions allowances. Click here to contact the DEC.

If New York sells 100 percent of these allowances instead of giving them away for free, the proceeds from their sale can be used to stabilize and reduce energy demand, which will cut greenhouse gas pollution and reduce the cost of the program. Giving away any portion of the carbon dioxide allowances to the generators for free merely pads the bottom line of these polluters.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
DEC Commissioner Denise Sheehan

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: NYS RGGI Comment Period

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing as a member of Environmental Advocates of New York to express my support for the Department of Environmental Conservation’s plan to auction 100 percent of carbon dioxide allowances as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has worked long and hard to make the regional plan to cut climate-altering pollution from power plants as strong as it can be. If New York sells 100 percent of these allowances, the proceeds from their sale can be used to support programs that will stabilize and reduce energy demand. This increased investment in energy efficiency will drive down costs for consumers and reduce the need to build new power plants. Slowing the growth of energy demand also benefits us by reducing carbon emissions.

Selling all of our allowances will help reflect the true costs of greenhouse gas pollution. Because power plants that produce the most greenhouse emissions cause the greatest amount of harm, it only makes sense that the dirtiest plants bear the largest burden of cost.

New York State is home to one of the largest economies in the world and our efforts to reduce global warming pollution are integral to the global efforts already under way. New York and its partner states must demonstrate that significant reductions are possible by making the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as strong as it can be. This will put the region on the right path to achieving emission levels that would cut pollution and possibly stabilize the climate.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

What’s At Stake:
New York has led the way, along with neighboring states, to create the country’s first mandatory program to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants—known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We need to make sure the state’s plan gives power producers an incentive to cut greenhouse gas pollution and forces them to pay when they contribute to global warming.

New York can do this by selling all of its carbon dioxide allowances.

If New York sells 100 percent of these allowances instead of giving them away for free, the proceeds from their sale can be used to support programs that will stabilize and reduce energy demand, which in turn avoids further greenhouse gas pollution and reduces the cost of this program for everyone. Giving away any portion of the carbon dioxide allowances to the generators for free merely pads the bottom line of these polluters.

 

Selling all of our carbon dioxide emissions allowances will help to show the true costs of pollution. Because power plants that produce the most greenhouse gas emissions cause the greatest amount of harm, it only makes sense that the dirtiest plants bear the largest burden of the cost.  

 

A similar plan to cut emissions in Europe gave away carbon allowances to power generators—a decision that has resulted in huge profits for power generators. For example, in the United Kingdom it’s estimated that power generators will see increased revenues of approximately $1 Billion per year.

 

New York has played a leading role in creating the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—and has adopted other measures to increase energy efficiency and increase the amount of clean energy we use to 25 percent of the state’s total energy needs.

Let’s make New York the leader it can and should be when it comes to global warming. Tell the DEC that you support their plan to sell 100 percent of our carbon dioxide allowances. Click here to contact the DEC.

Stay tuned. We’ll be back in touch soon with updates on the details of New York ’s role in the plan to cut climate-altering emissions.

For more information about Environmental Advocates of New York’s campaign to make  the state  a leader in the fight to stop global warming, visit www.eany.org.

Filed under: Action Alert!, Corporations, Education, Global Warming, Green Party Websites, New York State Politics