26th Annual Conference of the New England Governors and the Eastern Canadian Premiers

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) has interest in addressing energy supply and reliability, promoting environmental stewardship and assuring an efficient and effective transportation system, issues which by their nature are linked and whose resolution will also be linked; and

WHEREAS, the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces are linked by a common energy system and transportation network, which are subject to the same market forces regarding energy and fuel diversity, and the Region has developed common strategies to address the energy and environmental aspects of transportation; and

WHEREAS, the NEG/ECP Committee on the Environment and the Northeast International Committee on Energy have developed a Climate Change Action Plan to address actions to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in the Region and adapt our economies and social infrastructure to the negative impacts likely to result from climate change; and

WHEREAS, within the region, greenhouse gas emissions within one jurisdiction associated with cleaner energy production, can be offset by greenhouse gas emission reductions within another jurisdiction, resulting from the replacement of higher carbon intensity fuels with imported cleaner energy; and

WHEREAS, the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces suffer from the effects of air pollution transport from upwind sources, have strong public support and cooperation between jurisdictions to substantially reduce air pollution, and have together shared the productive experience of identifying and reducing emissions that contribute to acid deposition and mercury pollution through the implementation of the Conference's Acid Rain Action Plan and the Mercury Action Plan; and

WHEREAS, the Conference recognizes that substantial opportunities to improve conservation and efficiency in energy use and transportation are embodied in the Climate Change Action Plan;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, working with its Coordinating Committee, Committee on the Environment and Northeast International Committee on Energy, continue to jointly coordinate common strategies for the resolution of regional energy, environmental and transportation issues; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers accepts the Climate Change Action Plan and directs its environment and energy committees to form a Task Force of energy, environmental and other appropriate officials from state and provincial agencies to develop specific strategies and oversee and coordinate the implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference also directs its Committee on the Environment and Northeast International Committee on Energy to work together to address regional energy and environmental issues such as integrated approaches to energy reliability, fuel diversity, regional emission credit trading, energy conservation, and improved energy facility and transmission siting; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference recognizes the value of an effective transportation network that is compatible with the principles of growth management including open space preservation and sustainable economic growth; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference directs its environment and energy committees to report on their progress to the next meeting of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

Adopted at the 26^th Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, August 26-28, 2001.

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