Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan Presentation to the Electric
Download
Report
Transcript Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan Presentation to the Electric
Massachusetts Climate
Protection Plan
Presentation to the Electric Restructuring Roundtable
Sonia Hamel
Massachusetts Office for Commonwealth Development
May 21, 2004
Massachusetts Climate Protection
Plan
Announced on May 6th
Governor Romney released this plan of tough
targets and 72 measures saying:
Our administration has embarked on a “no
regrets” policy
“These are actions we can and must take now; if
we are to have “no regrets” when we transfer our
temporary stewardship of this earth to the next
generation.” Gov. Mitt Romney
Climate Protection Actions are
Needed
Stronger indications that a blanket of heat trapping
gases is resulting in impacts to the climate
• Glacial melting, forest fires, more severe storm patterns and heavy
rainfall events, and then periods of drought.
• Global temperatures are up 0.7 – 1.4 degrees F, New England
coastal areas are showing an average increase of 1.9 degrees
• The 5 warmest years on record are, starting with the hottest, 1998,
2002, 2003, 2001, and 1997 (the 10 hottest years ever recorded all
occurred since 1990).
The residence time of CO2 is about 100 years.
Pollution released today continues to warm for a
century and is additive.
What Difference Could the State
and the Region Make?
MA state-wide emissions are comparable to
the total emissions of whole countries (i.e.
Portugal, Egypt, Austria, or Greece).
If the New England/ Eastern CA Region was
classified as a country, it would be the 12th
largest emitter of GHG in the world.
With NY and NJ = 5th largest.
Choose Actions that are Best for
our Economy and Environment
Why is this sound stewardship for MA without
national action? We can be:
•
•
•
•
•
Improving our regional economy (reducing the dollars sent
out of the region for energy),
Boosting public health and regional environmental quality,
Seek higher efficiency in the generation, transport, and the
use of energy (and its resulting cost savings),
Take advantage of the states strengths, thereby enhancing
them,
Recognize good actors and reward action and innovation.
Implementing a Regional Climate
Change Agreement
Massachusetts is a part of the New England
Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate
Action Plan adopted in 2001.
The Massachusetts plan affirms the regional work
and seeks to help meet the regional targets of:
1990 levels by 2010
10% below by 2020
Reduce GHG emissions sufficiently to eliminate any
dangerous threat to climate; current science suggests
this will require reductions by as much as 75-85% below
current levels.
Climate Change as
an organizing principle
Coordinates Climate Protection with
our policies on:
Housing
Compact Land Use
Agriculture
Waste
Transportation
Forestry
Economic Development
Technological innovation
Jobs Creation
Air Quality (Smog, VOCs, NOx,
Particulates, regional haze, Acid
Rain, Mercury)
Massachusetts Approach: Integrate
Policies across Programs
Power Plant Clean-up: 4 Pollutant Regulation
Green Restructuring:
Renewable Portfolio Standards
Renewable Trust Fund
Efficiency Funds
New Power Plant Siting Rules for Clean Plants
Emissions Disclosure
New England Governors and Eastern
Canadian Premiers Climate Action Plan
Midwest Power Plant Clean Up Advocacy
Organizing the Plan
To reach the goals, there are a number of
areas in which we need to work:
Lead by example in State Government
Partnerships with Municipalities, Universities and
Businesses and Institutions
Registry
Energy:
Modernize existing plants and transmission systems
Efficiency and Renewables
Transportation: Technology and Better Planned
Communities and their Transport Systems
Lead by Example
Group of state agency staff going through the process of
surveying best practices that save energy, benchmarking them
and encouraging their widespread distribution.
Goal 25% reduction in CO2 by 2012 from state facilities
Educate employees to look for opportunities for improved energy conservation of all
kinds
Work to improve energy efficiency in state facilities
$17 Million renewable energy purchase for state buildings
Manual of suggestions and tools published with the plan (instruction book for the
agencies)
Green building requirements for new state buildings
Incorporate longer-range energy savings into state purchasing decisions (from 3-10
years)
Develop and Maintain a State Greenhouse Gas Inventory: “manage what you measure”
Acquire Clean, Fuel-Efficient Vehicles for the State Fleet, (new A&F policy) “NO
SUV Policy”
Climate
Protection Partnerships
Cities and Towns: Program to work with
communities to establish targets for local
reduction and benchmarks for progress.
(currently 20 on-board), Green Schools
Initiative
College and University Challenge
Business Leaders Challenge
Business, Industry and Institutions
as Climate Protection Partners
Implement 4-Pollutant regulations for older
power plants (NOx, SOx, Hg and CO2)
Promote Distributed Generation, Combined
Heat and Power and Renewable Energy
Enhance Pollution Reporting to include CO2
Methane recapture (stop paying for lost gas)
Create an Emissions Bank & Trading Program
Provide technical assistance
Registry
Work with the other states to create a framework for
future market-oriented and/or regulatory responses
to global warming through a regional global
warming emission registry.
States involved include: CA, OR, WA, NC, NY, NJ, RI, CT,
ME, VT, NH and WI.
Looking for a harmonized program with international
standards.
Common data base and approaches.
Energy
Focus on:
RGGI Process: Carbon cap and trade (& 4P regs.)
Expanding renewable energy sources and ensuring
that evolving markets do not discriminate against
renewable energy.
Reducing energy use from cost-saving conservation
programs
Adopt appliance efficiency standards
Meet the Renewable Portfolio Standard established in
Energy Restructuring
Transportation
Transport is the largest growth area for CO2
and will need attention. We propose to:
Require Reporting of CO2 emissions whenever the state does
large projects
Develop mechanisms to promote cleaner and more efficient
vehicle choices and systems (i.e. transit, rail freight, and more
efficient use of aviation)
Require clean diesel equipment on increasing number of state
construction projects
Continue to follow CA Clean Car program which provides
incentives for hybrid and alternatively fueled vehicles
Longer-Term
Transportation Approach
Land use development that leads to more efficient
travel, better transit and reduced vehicle miles of
travel
Transportation System
Commonwealth Capital Program
Smart Growth
Expanded transit system, 20 sites of transit-oriented
development
Vastly improved vehicle efficiency through hybrids,
other technologies
Shift to renewable fuels
For more on the Massachusetts
Climate Protection Plan
“The challenge is two fold: we must
acknowledge and repair the damage we
have already caused, and we must
change our policies and actions to
minimize future damage.”
Douglas Foy, Secretary of Commonwealth Development
The plan is at www.mass.gov/ocd