RICHMOND, Va. -- Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that Virginia is officially the first southern state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a consortium of Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states which has worked together for more than a decade to successfully cut pollution from power plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two proposals today to roll back clean water protections against waste from coal-fired power plants. The first proposal would overhaul wastewater rules, drastically weakening safeguards that prevent utilities from discharging toxic pollutants like arsenic, lead and mercury into America’s waterways. The second proposal would significantly extend closure dates for coal ash disposal sites, allowing utilities to continue storing toxic coal debris in ponds that can leak or overflow, for decades.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to announce a proposal tomorrow to commit the commonwealth to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Through the governor’s administrative action, the commonwealth is poised to become a member of one of the largest and most successful programs for tackling climate pollution in the nation.
Today, the regional multi-state agency (the Delaware River Basin Commission, DRBC) charged with preserving and restoring the Delaware River, its tributaries and watershed made a historic announcement for protecting this important local waterway by proposing to ban the oil and gas drilling practice known as “fracking” within the Delaware River Basin. “Expanding and implementing this ban on fracking and fracking activities is crucial for the residents of New York,” stated Heather Leibowitz Director of Environment New York. “Millions of New Yorkers rely on the Delaware River for our drinking water supply—we have to guarantee that we protect this source water from the pollution threats posed by fracking, and today’s announcement is a crucial step forward in ensuring that guarantee.”
Officials in Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s administration announced their support today for strengthening the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a program that reduces global warming pollution from power plants in nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, including New York.
