Response to N.H. Passage of the Clean Power Act

April 30, 2002

Portsmouth, N.H.- New Hampshire has taken an impressive and refreshing lead by becoming the first state in the nation to pass legislation meant to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a greenhouse gas that is mainly responsible for global climate change. New Hampshire's Clean Power Act mandates that power plants in the state reduce carbon dioxide emissions 3% to 1990 levels-with future requirements to lower them an additional 7%-and cut the other three major pollutants by between 70 and 90% over the next decade.

"This is the epitome of leading by example," says Clean Air-Cool Planet's Executive Director Adam Markham. "It's the kind of regional action that should jolt Washington awake and catalyze other state legislatures to address industrial emissions."

"Although we believe that the carbon dioxide caps in the bill should have been tighter than they actually are," Markham says, "the bill sets a target that is aligned with the short-term goal agreed to in August of last year in the New England Governors and the Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan."

Clean Air-Cool Planet testified in favor of the Clean Power Bill last fall, pointing out that New Hampshire has already taken the lead in several sectors, including:

• The University of New Hampshire's comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory shows that campus emissions have actually fallen 4.5% since 1990 and the school is considering installing an on-site natural gas co-generation facility;
• Stonyfield Farm, a leading organic yogurt manufacturer located in Londonderry, has reduced the amount of energy used per pound of product by 27%, saving the company thousands of dollars per year;
• The Timberland Company, based in Stratham, partners with CA-CP and Vermont-based NativeEnergy to build wind farms with revenue from the sale of green tags, which will "retire" more than 2,400 tons of carbon-enough to offset the carbon emissions of electricity use by 28 of Timberland's retail stores for a full year;
• Shaw's Supermarkets and Verizon Telecommunications-with more than 6,000 employees in New Hampshire collectively-have also implemented effective energy saving programs and realized corporate savings of approximately $28 million combined.

"The Clean Power Act gives us the opportunity to build on voluntary leadership with regulatory action that will bring the states most polluting power stations up to more modern standards and continue to advance New Hampshire's role as an innovator in air pollution prevention," says Markham.