Maryland Department of the Environment (for pda/handhelds)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cooperative effort by ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity generating plants.  RGGI includes Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

In the United States, RGGI is the first program of its kind, a multi-state emissions cap and trade program with a market-based emissions trading system.  The cap and trade program is designed to reduce CO2, a greenhouse gas, while maintaining electricity affordability and reliability.  Maryland's participation in RGGI will reduce CO2 emissions from the State's electricity generators by roughly 10 percent from current levels by 2019. The program also directly funds energy efficiency and cleaner energy programs that will lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Maryland formally joined RGGI on April 20, 2007, when Governor Martin O'Malley signed the Second Amendment to the RGGI Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  The signed MOU is available here the and first amendment to the MOU is available here.

NEWS:    Fifth CO2 Allowance Auction held on September 9, 2009. More information here.

Maryland CO2 Budget Trading Program: Information regarding offset projects can be found here

REGULATIONS AND RELATED MEETINGS:  Maryland's CO2 A stakeholder meeting of the Maryland Climate Change Commission was held on September 30, 2009. More information here

RGGI FACTS:  How does a cap and trade program work?  What will generators need to do?  Click here.

RESEARCH:  What are the effects of different levels of energy efficieny spending?  What is Maryland's Strategic Electricity Plan?  Click here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Links to programs in and outside of Maryland... Click here.