Thursday, 4:30 PM
Patrick to charge power plants for carbon dioxide emissions
By Scott Allen, Globe Staff
Governor Deval Patrick announced today that Massachusetts will rejoin the regional effort to slow global warming by charging power plants for their emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas that scientists say is helping to heat up the planet.
Former Governor Mitt Romney pulled Massachusetts out of the seven-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2005 amid concerns that the fees on power plants would raise the cost of electricity to the average household by a few dollars a year. But Patrick said the carbon dioxide charges will allow Massachusetts to help the environment and save money at the same time because he plans to invest all the money collected in energy efficiency and clean energy projects.
"Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time," said Patrick, speaking at a scientific briefing on global warming at the University of Massachusetts Boston. "On this day, we want everyone to know that Massachusetts will not stand on the sidelines."
Under the greenhouse gas initiative, power plants with a capacity of 25 megawatts or more will have to pay for each ton of carbon dioxide they release, making power from plants that burn coal, oil, gas, wood, and other fuels slightly more expensive. Patrick's environmental affairs secretary Ian Bowles said the carbon charges will generate $25 million to $125 million per year for energy conservation and funding for renewable energy.
The initiative caps power plant carbon emissions at about 2009 levels through 2015, than will require a 10 percent reduction in those emissions by 2019.
The Globe first reported about Patrick's power plant fees in today's paper. The governor also announced today that state agencies will boost their purchase of electricity from renewable sources such as wind power and trash-burning plants.
