Investment News
This section of the website contains media coverage related to each state's use of RGGI auction proceeds. Proceeds from the sale of RGGI allowances total more than $494.4 million since the first RGGI auction in September of 2008. The states are investing proceeds in programs that promote energy efficiency, support renewable energy innovation and deployment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help consumers control energy costs.
RGGI: Quietly Setting a Standard
SeacoastOnline
Though the Sept. 9 auction had the lowest sale return at $68.5 million of the five auctions, with each "allowance" sold equaling one ton of CO2 emitted, the ground-breaking market approach to tackle global climate change through regional cooperation has raised $432.7 million for the 10 RGGI states - money that has already been recycled from Maine to Maryland in the form of grants for weatherization and energy efficiency grants...
Connecticut
Conn. Reopens Solar Rebate Program with New Funds
Mass High Tech
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund is once again accepting applications to its solar rebate program thanks to $3.1 million in fresh funding. The rebate program, which provides rebates of up to 40 percent for installation of small solar photovoltaic systems, had been closed since November because all previous funding had been allocated...
Connecticut Targets $14m in Clean-Tech Cap-and-Trade Funds
Mass High Tech
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell today announced that $14 million raised from auctions of emission allowances will be allocated to agencies and companies that promote energy conservation and help to fund clean and renewable energy programs. The state brought in the $14 million under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiatives (RGGI)...
Delaware
Clunkers (Part II)
News Journal
Delaware has just started handing out good-as-cash rebates of varying amounts -- from $25 to $100 -- to buyers of energy-efficient appliances and other products that carry the blue "Energy Star" efficiency label... Similar programs are getting under way across the country as part of the latest "stimulus bill" spending by the federal government, but the Energize Delaware effort is being boosted by additional resources from an appliance rebate program that was already being planned for funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...
State Gets $2.7m for Energy Programs
News Journal
Delaware netted $2.6 million for energy-related programs from the latest pollution auction held under a regional program aimed at curbing power-plant contributions to climate change. State officials said the proceeds in Delaware will support energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives across the state, while also helping to create new jobs in clean, energy-related industries...
DE Expects $2.7m for Investment in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
All-American Patriots
Delaware Governor Jack Markell and DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara announced today that Delaware will be receiving $2.6 million for investment in clean energy projects from the state's participation in the fourth Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions allowances held Wednesday, June 17...
Maine
Investing In Energy
Bangor Daily News
Nearly $9 million, much of it from a regional greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, will go to Maine businesses to help with energy efficiency projects. The funding will reduce energy expenses, allowing the companies to invest that money in other areas such as payroll, while reducing harmful emissions...
Up to 1,000 Maine Jobs Linked to Carbon Trading
Kennebec Journal
The nation's first mandatory carbon trading scheme is being credited with potentially creating nearly 1,000 jobs while promoting energy efficiency projects in industries located across Maine. Sixteen projects were awarded $8.9 million...
State Appliance Rebate Program Pushes All the Right Buttons
MaineBusiness.com
Maine is using $1.26 million to reward those who buy Energy Star-rated items. Like "cash for clunkers," the program aims to replace less-efficient models and boost sales in the recession. The rebates are administered through Efficiency Maine, a program of the Maine Utilities Commission....
Maine among Pioneers of Cap-and-Trade Carbon Control
Kennebec Journal
A one-year-old regional experiment with carbon cap-and-trade has so far generated $13.5 million for energy conservation efforts in Maine. But it could ultimately have a far bigger impact, in Maine and nationwide...The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, was effectively launched in September 2008 with the first carbon allowance auction in the United States....
Regional Cap-and-Trade Program Rewards Maine with $2.7m
The Exception Magazine
Today, state officials learned that Maine will receive more than $2.7 million from 4th RGGI Auction, part of a regional cap and trade program used to regulate greenhouse gases. In all, Maine has earned a total of more than $11.6 million since the first auction in September of 2008. The money will benefit consumers in Maine through investments in energy efficiency and programs that reduce energy costs...
Maryland
Chevy Chase Resident Helps Town Go Green With Home Energy Audits
Washington Post
One of Mike Whelan's primary concerns during his workday is insulation. A Town of Chevy Chase resident, Whelan has been conducting home energy audits and overseeing energy efficiency improvements for about nine months, performing on average 10 home audits per month as part of his business, Live Green, which he runs out of his home...
Home Heating Efficiencies Offer 'Hat Trick' of Savings: UM Study
Red Orbit
Improving the energy efficiency of Maryland homes heated by natural gas would generate a "hat trick" of economic and environmental benefits over the next 10 years, including more than 80,000 new jobs, savings of hundreds of dollars in average heating bills and a nine percent reduction in residential carbon emissions, concludes a new study by the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER)...
Cap-and-Trade Emissions Reduction Programs Catch On: MD Raises Millions for Energy Efficiency
Baltimore Sun
In a little more than a year, a regional push to cap greenhouse gases has raised millions for Maryland energy programs, with supporters calling it a model for easing climate change on a national or even global scale...
MD RGGI Proceeds to Go to Rate Relief
Forbes
A Senate committee voted Tuesday to direct the money Maryland receives as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to electricity rate relief, instead of a fund to promote energy efficiency. Pipkin proposed the amendment to a bill that would repeal the Maryland Renewable Energy Fund and establish the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Program in the Maryland Energy Administration...
Maryland Brings in $16.3m after Auctioning Carbon Emissions Credits
Baltimore Business Journal
Maryland brought in $16.3 million through its sale of carbon-emission credits last week. Maryland was among 10 states that collectively put more than 12.5 million credits on an online auction to pay for state energy-efficiency and conservation programs...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Sets Ambitious Energy Standards
New York Times
Massachusetts state officials on Friday announced new energy efficiency standards for utilities that aim to be the most ambitious in the nation.Consumers will eventually reap $6 billion in savings on their utility bills from the efficiency plan, even after accounting for the added fees, the officials predicted...
Natick Aims for Green Community Designation
Worecester Business Journal
The town of Natick is on its way through a five-step plan that will allow it to be designated as a "green community" by the state. Natick is one of at least 106 communities pursuing the distinction, which requires a municipality to agree to five steps that encourage energy efficiency. Once dubbed a "green community" by the state, municipalities are eligible to apply for up to $10 million in grants annually made available through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...
Swampscott Eyes Big Savings by Going Green
The Daily Item of Flynn
Swampscott is moving forward in its quest to become a green community. Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said the town has contracted with Johnson Controls to conduct a comprehensive 90-day energy audit of town buildings. The audit is the first step toward being designated a Green Community by the state... The state program was established last year to help municipalities implement energy saving measures to reduce their environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions. Using proceeds from the auction of carbon allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...
Big Blue to Become a "Green Community" with Help from State Agnecy
The Daily Item
In a joint application with Salem, the town was awarded a planning assistance grant from The Green Communities Program at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER)... Using proceeds from the auction of carbon allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Green Communities Division in EEA's Department of Energy Resources will provide 103 cities and towns with $1.2 million in private energy consulting services...
Somerville to Receive Grant Money to Help Move toward Green Community
The Somerville Journal
In a joint application with Salem, the town was awarded a planning assistance grant from The Green Communities Program at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER)... Using proceeds from the auction of carbon allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Green Communities Division in EEA's Department of Energy Resources will provide 103 cities and towns with $1.2 million in private energy consulting services...
Tweksbury Recieves Green Communities Grant
Tweksbury Advocate
Tewksbury was one of more than 100 cities and towns to have qualified to receive free technical assistance as they strive to qualify for up to $10 million in grants for municipal energy efficiency and renewable power projects under the Patrick-Murray administration's Green Communities program. Using proceeds from the auction of carbon allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) the Green Communities Division in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will provide 103 cities and towns with $1.2 million in private energy consulting services...
'Green' Jobs Lining Up on Horizon
Boston Globe
The Energy Efficiency Skills Initiative, offering nearly $2 million in grants raised by auctions of carbon-dioxide emissions allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, will provide green-building training to contractors and job-seekers with limited incomes...
Cap and Trade Program Creates Green Jobs
Scientific American
Scott Newman was laid off in February from his job repairing home oil heaters, a victim of the dismal economy. Today, he sits in a class with a new job, learning how to sleuth out wasted energy in homes. Newman is in the vanguard of a green-collar corps created by the nation's first carbon cap-and-trade program, operating in 10 northeastern states...
New Hampshire
'Cut the Carbon' Kits Available at Local Libraries
The Citizen of Laconia
Energy efficiency help for homeowners is on the way as hundreds of "Cut the Carbon" kits arrive this month in public libraries across New Hampshire. Provided by NHSaves, the collaborative effort of the state's four largest electric utilities, the kits feature a Kill-A-Watt energy detector that homeowners can use to assess the efficiency of their appliances and make changes to lower their energy usage...
Big Wins for Tiny, Energy-Conscious Temple
Nashua Telegraph
This tiny town – estimated population 1,500, considerably smaller than the number of students at either of Nashua’s public high schools – was the only community to win a Climate Champion Award this year… Even better from town taxpayers’ point of view: Temple received a $332,000 award from the state’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative fund to help make town buildings more efficient...
Dartmouth receives $330,000 from New Hampshire Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
Nashua Telegraph
Dartmouth has received a $330,936 grant from the New Hampshire Green House Gas Reduction Fund to help implement a Campus Energy and Sustainability Management System. This new system, which will measure and monitor energy use around campus, supports Dartmouth’s commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030…GHGERF funding results from carbon allowance auctions from the Regional Greenhouse Initiative (RGGI)...
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Selects TRC to Support Energy Efficiency Efforts in Schools
BusinessWire
TRC Companies, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NH PUC) to provide energy benchmarking services to the state's K-12 schools. The project is being funded by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to help the NH PUC achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency. The New Hampshire EnergySmart Schools Program will use TRC's Building Energy Performance System to generate reports describing energy use and associated carbon emissions for each K-12 school building and compare results across the state...
Greenhouse Gas Money Coming Back to NH
WCSH6
In March, Public Service Company of New Hampshire and three other electric utilities applied for $7.4 million from the state's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The money will be used between now and the end of June. Close to half will go to PSNH, which plans to increase funding for existing programs and add new programs, including financing for residential weatherization projects and an air conditioner recycling program...
State Awards $470k for Gorham Mill Energy Project
New Hampshire Business Review
The Fraser Papers mill in Gorham has received a grant aimed at helping the facility reduce its energy costs. Gov. John Lynch and the Executive Council have approved $470,000 in funding from the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund, created through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, for the mill to the company lower its operating costs...
Energy Funds Trickle in for Businesses
New Hampshire Business Review
Officials at Foss Manufacturing in Hampton knew years ago they could save money on energy after conducting an energy audit. However, after bouncing back from bankruptcy in 2006, the budget was still tight, and back then there were few opportunities for those that generate their own electricity to finance energy-related improvements. Those times have changed....
RGGI: Now 'the Fun Part'
New Hampshire Business Review
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the innovative regional cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gases, has generated plenty of attention, but now it's getting ready to generate something better - millions of dollars...
Seeking Ways to Spend RGGI Money
Nashua Telegraph
The PUC has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for energy efficiency, conservation, and demand response programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Selected programs will be supported by money collected from the auction of carbon credits under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which officials say should be "in the range of $4.5 million to $6.5 million...
New Jersey
State DEP Offering Grants for Going Green, Reducing Global Warming
Gloucester County News
Local governments and schools looking to reduce their carbon footprint can now apply to a new state grant program to help reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in their communities, the state Department of Education announced recently. The program is funded by a portion of the proceeds from the auction of carbon dioxide allowances through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's cap-and-trade program...
NJ Program to Help Firms Invest in Green Energy, Energy Efficiency
Triangle Business Journal
New Jersey has launched a program to provide loans and grants to support investment in capital projects that involve green energy or energy efficiency. New Jersey will fund the loans and grants from money it raises by selling carbon dioxide emission allowances at Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auctions...
New York
LIPA's Solar Rebate Program Gets $6-Million Boost
Mid Hudson News
The Long Island Power Authority's popular but oversubscribed solar rebate program will get a $6-million boost from money raised through the sale of pollution credits to power plants, state energy officials said Wednesday. The money will help LIPA handle an end-of-year influx of applications that would have exhausted the agency's 2009 solar rebate funds. LIPA chief executive Kevin Law said...
Middletown Secures $17 Million in Stimulus Money for Sewer Plant
Mid Hudson News
Federal officials Monday presented Middletown city representatives with a ceremonial check for $17 million to cover part of the $36.4 million cost of rebuilding its wastewater treatment plant… The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation will kick in $12 million in low-interest loans via the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and refinance an outstanding $5.7 million bond anticipation note held by the city when the project is completed. The New York State Research and Development Authority will provide the city with the remaining $1.7 million from the state’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative…
Senate Passes Green Jobs Act
Gouverneur Times
New York has raised nearly $128 million so far under a multi-state program meant to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. On Wednesday, the state held its third auction under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and received another $40 million to reach that total....
Energy Efficiency Pool Hits $128 Million
Albany Times Union
New York has raised nearly $128 million so far under a multi-state program meant to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. On Wednesday, the state held its third auction under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and received another $40 million to reach that total....
Vermont
Weatherization Workshop Set
Brattleboro Reformer
Homeowners or professionals who would like to learn proper weatherization techniques are encouraged to attend two weatherization "skillshops" Saturday at the Windham Regional Career Center in Brattleboro. The skillshops are part of a statewide educational program created by the Central Vermont Community Action Council and funded through Vermont’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...
Groups accross the State Button Up for Winter
Vermont Today
Vermonters can save about 20 percent or more on their home heating costs by making their homes more efficient, according to Paul Markowitz, the coordinator of Button Up Vermont. But many people are unaware of the benefits or daunted by the upfront costs. Button Up Vermont is an intensive public education program that is helping homeowners across the state appreciate the potential of some very simple energy-savings measures. Funding is provided under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative....
Vermont Reaps Rewards From Carbon Reduction Program
Vermont Business Magazine
Vermont is getting a great deal from a regional carbon-reduction program that gives the state more than $2 million a year for energy-efficiency initiatives for households and businesses. The money is being made available through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which initiates refer to as Reggie. This 10-state partnership represents the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade approach to reducing power-plant emissions that are contributing significantly to climate change....
Vermont Earns Nearly $700,000 in Carbon Allowance Auction
Vermont Business News
Governor Jim Douglas announced today that the state will receive $684,544 from an auction of carbon allowances held this week by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Vermont is partnered with nine other states in the RGGI, an organization that holds quarterly carbon allowance auctions with the goal of investing the proceeds into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy cost reduction programs....
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