Cutting Pollution, Cutting Costs:

How New Jersey Can Maximize the Benefits of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

by Tony Dutzik, Frontier Group; Matt Elliott, Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center

Executive Summary

New Jersey and nine other northeastern states took a pioneering step to address global warming with adoption of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the first regional cap-and-trade program for global warming pollution in the nation’s history. The RGGI agreement, however, gives individual states discretion over how to implement key parts of the program. Cutting Pollution, Cutting Costs describes how New Jersey can maximize the benefits of RGGI by auctioning pollution allowances and avoiding loopholes that would weaken the program. (October 2007)

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