WESTBROOK, Maine -- Environmental advocates gathered in Westbrook this morning to celebrate what they say is the success of a multi-state regional "cap-and-trade" program that seeks to reduce carbon dioxide pollution by placing limits on emissions from fossil fuel-burning power plants.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, is slated to hold its 25th carbon credit auction today.
"These auctions are the source of revenue for states like Maine to use for whatever purposes they decide," says Dylan Voorhees, of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, "and we are reaping the benefits of the decision here in Maine to use the RGGI monies to invest in energy efficiency."
Voorhees says, to date, Maine has turned $30 million in energy efficiency investments into $250 million in energy savings.