RGGI Examines Tightening Emissions Cap to Comply with Clean Power Plan

As part of their 2016 Program Review, member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) are examining opportunities to link RGGI with the Clean Power Plan (CPP), such as altering or removing the program’s Cost Containment Reserve (CCR) to address oversupply of allowances while preserving a mechanism to prevent price volatility. The alignment of RGGI control periods with CPP interim step periods would facilitate market expansion, as RGGI is the primary CPP compliance mechanism for member states and continues to draw attention from non-RGGI states. As the legal fate of the CPP is still pending, with an outcome that will have notable implications on allowance prices, clarifications regarding RGGI’s post-2020 cap will help reduce regulatory uncertainty in the RGGI market.