Northeast States Considering Low-Carbon Fuel Rule Based on Calif. Model

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/08/15/15greenwire-northeast-states-considering-low-carbon-fuel-r-10915.html

Northeast States Considering Low-Carbon Fuel Rule Based on Calif. Model

By JASON PLAUTZ of Greenwire
Published: August 15, 2011

A group of 11 states in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions is working on a plan that could cut the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by as much as 15 percent over the next 10 to 15 years.

The Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) is set to release a framework for a low-carbon fuel standard pending the completion of an economic analysis, which could happen as early as this month. According to a http://www.eenews.net/assets/2011/08/15/document_gw_03.pdf">stakeholders document (pdf) obtained by Greenwire, the plan could look similar to one already in place in California that requires companies that import or produce fuel to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

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The governors of the 11 states participating in the LCFS -- Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont -- signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2009 to advance the program. The participating states have been holding stakeholder meetings with the intention of releasing a draft framework this year for further consideration.

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California enacted its own fuel standard last year that requires fuel suppliers to reduce fuel emissions by 10 percent by 2020. That program has encountered some resistance because of its life-cycle analysis for certain fuels, as well as concerns about the cost of fuels.

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