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For Release: May 11, 2006

Eastern Premiers Asked to Establish Regional Climate Accord

(Boston) With the Harper government abandoning its Kyoto targets and savaging federal climate action programs, a coalition of environmental groups are asking the Premiers from Québec and Atlantic Canada to establish a regional accord on climate change that would include Ontario and Manitoba. The Eastern Canadian Premiers are attending the 30th annual meeting of the Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Newport, Rhode Island from May 11 - 13 where they will receive an update on progress made to date in achieving the pollution reduction targets adopted under their bilateral climate action initiative (www.neg-ecp-environment.org).

In 2001, Québec, the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador, along with the New England Governors, adopted an accord to reduce greenhouse pollution to 1990 levels by 2010 and 10 percent below that by 2020.

This led to the legally-binding regional greenhouse gas initiative known as RGGI in the northeastern United States. RGGI establishes legally binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions in each of the nine participating states and create a trading system allowing companies that beat the standards to sell their extra credits to other firms. Participating states include Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Delaware. The five eastern Canadian provinces have been close observers of the process.

“With Prime Minister Harper eliminating or scaling back climate action programs as he abandons Canada's Kyoto commitments, eastern Canada should launch its own regional greenhouse gas initiative to cut greenhouse gas pollution,” said David Coon, Policy Director for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and Chair of the Canadian Climate Action Network. “We would encourage the assembled Permiers to invite the Premier of Ontario and Manitoba to participate, to ensure over half of Canada's greenhouse gas pollution would be governed by their regional initiative,” said Coon.

“The Government of Québec has been musing about joining RGGI,” said Hugo Séguin of Equiterre. “More regional cooperation is needed on climate change. Québec could learn a lot from US northeastern states and could contribute constructively with other provinces and states on energy efficiency policies,” said Séguin. Québec recently announced that it would adopt California standards for cars as part of its new energy policy.

In the American northeast, under RGGI each participating state will have its own legally binding greenhouse gas emissions limits, regulating those polluters located within their own boundaries (see www.rggi.org).

“Québec, Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Manitoba have been very successful with their regional acid rain initiative, cutting their sulphur dioxide emissions by more than 50% below 1980 levels,” said Brendan Haley of Nova Scotia's Ecology Action Centre. “With the leadership Pemier Doer has demonstrated on climate change, the huge cuts in pollution Premier McGuinty will make through his phase-out of coal-fired electricity, and the commitments the eastern Premiers have already taken on, a regional accord has the potential to deliver large reductions in Canada's greenhouse gas emissions,” said Haley.

The Premiers and Governors arrive in Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday night for two days of meetings at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Conservation Council's David Coon and Ecology Action Centre's Brendan Haley are attending the meeting as registered delegates.