Emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants in the Northeast declined 11 percent in 2011, according to a study by Rockport, Maine non-profit Environment Northeast.
The non-profit studied power plant emissions from the 10 states participating the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program requiring power generators to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. The 10 RGGI states are Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware and Maryland.
The report says emissions declined 11 percent last year from 2010 as use of coal and oil plants declined while use of natural gas, wind, hydro and nuclear plants increased.
RGGI caps the amount of greenhouse gases that may be emitted into the Northeast environment in one year. In 2011, total emissions were 34 percent below that cap, according to Environment Northeast.
If the use of natural gas remains high and the region continues to develop more power generation based on renewables such as wind and hydro, the region will remain below the RGGI cap for the foreseeable future, the study says.
