Northeast governors sign emissions accord

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND - Governors of seven Northeast states officially signed an agreement aimed at stabilizing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and providing economic incentives for energy efficient systems.

Governor Carcieri, one of the nine governors involved in drafting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative for the past two years, did not sign.

Recently, Carcieri's spokesman, Jeff Neal, said that the governor's reluctance to sign did not mean he was giving up on the initiative, but that he wanted to ensure that the program, which seeks to impose a cap-and-trade program and establish energy efficiency subsidies, did not impose a hefty financial burden on energy consuming homeowners and businesses.

Supporters of the initiative - including Lt. Gov. Charles J. Fogarty and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch - say Carcieri is making a serious mistake and that his economic analysis is off base.

"Governor Carcieri has sided with polluters," Fogarty said in a statement, "instead of environmental interests, clean, efficient energy and funds to cut energy costs."

Advocates from several different organizations agree that the economic projections Carcieri has based his decision on are flawed.

"Governors of seven states all throughout the Northeast, Democrats, Republicans, have all looked through the same numbers," said Matt Auten, advocate at the Rhode Island Public Interest Group. "And all had the same chance to ask the questions that Governor Carcieri had. They've all committed to moving forward with this program."