All News Releases By Date

Massachusetts Citizens Receive Earth Day Honors with Prestigious Regional EPA Environmental Award

Release Date: 04/21/2009
Contact Information: EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1010

(Boston, Mass. – April 21, 2009) – Thirteen Massachusetts citizens and fourteenMassachusetts groups will be honored on Earth Day in Boston’s Faneuil Hall as EPA presents its annual Environmental Merit Awards for 2009.

Recognizing significant contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving, the Massachusetts awardees includedfive lifetime achievement awards, six individual merit awards, three business/ industry/ professional organization recipients, eight environmental/ community/ academia/ non-profit organization winners, and three awards for efforts by local, state or federal governments.

Given out by EPA since 1970, the merit awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region's environment. This year's competition drew 49 nominations from across New England.

The winners from Massachusetts were among31 from across New England. Awards were given in the categories of individual; business (including professional organizations); local, state or federal government; and environmental, community, academia or nonprofit organization. Also, each year EPA may present lifetime achievement awards for individuals. The Environmental Merit Award Winners from Massachusetts are:

Lifetime Achievement Environmental Merit Award:

Kenan R. Foley
Kenan Foley, a resident of Milton, worked for the state of Massachusetts for more than 35 years. In his role as deputy director of the division of State Parks and Recreation, he presided over the ninth largest state park system in the country, overseeing such sites as Walden Pond and Pilgrim Memorial State Park, home of Plymouth Rock. Throughout, he maintained a vision of sustainable stewardship of the parks, introducing composting toilets, electric vehicles and smart buildings to the park system. He was also involved in responding to such challenges as the Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation, beach erosion and damage from ice storms, hurricanes and other weather events. Kenan understood the need for educating future park stewards and helped create the annual State Park Leadership School, which gives participants a certificate for park management. Outside state service, Kenan also served the environment as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1974 to 2004, retiring as master chief. His list of duties included oil spill coordination and marine facility inspection.

James R. Milkey
Assistant Attorney General James Milkey was recently nominated to be a judge on the Massachusetts Appeals Court. He also was nominated by his wife for another honor: this merit award “for his work over the last 25 years in environmental law.” James, who headed the AG’s environmental protection division, is best known for a few specific cases and EPA agrees his work deserves this lifetime achievement honor. Most notably, in 2007, Jim won a case challenging the federal government’s refusal to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases. EPA has since reversed its position and embraced the court’s ruling. In 1990, Jim also convinced the state supreme court that Proposition 2-1/2 did not excuse municipalities from complying with environmental standards. And in 1994, Jim convinced the First Circuit Court of Appeals to break with the New York court and allow Massachusetts to adopt “the California Motor vehicles emissions standard.” Most importantly, perhaps, Jim built the Environmental Protection Division of the Mass. Office of the Attorney General into one of the premier environmental protection organizations in the country.

Pamela P. Resor
After 18 years in the Massachusetts legislature and 30 years of dedication to environmental protection, Pamela Resor recently retired as a state senator and chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. Her commitment to strong environmental laws has earned her this recognition. Pamela played an active role in her town of Acton when W.R. Grace was linked in 1978 to pollution in the town’s water supply. The town sought her help to address the problem, and after serving on the board of health she became a selectman in 1981 and continued to work on the water supply crisis. She served as director of the Mass. Association of Conservation Commissions before setting her sights on a legislative position. Her legislative record included restructuring the state hazardous waste cleanup law and leading the fight for Brownfields legislation to ease redevelopment of urban waste sites. She was also instrumental in legislation protecting rivers, and providing open space, affordable housing and historic preservation. She has been a tireless advocate for the state park system, protection of local conservation land and the budgets of state environmental agencies. Most recently, she was chief sponsor of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative legislation. Pamela leaves a rich legacy of environmental protection in Massachusetts.

Mark H. Robinson
As executive director of a coalition of land trusts on Cape Cod, Mark H. Robinson has had a long-running commitment to the environment. In his role at the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, where he has worked since it was founded in1986, he has carried out significant land conservation projects throughout Barnstable County. During this time, the compact has provided technical help to 24 member land trusts and watershed associations representing 10,000 members in 15 towns. With limited dollars and high real estate values, Mark has designed projects that helped trusts prioritize land acquisitions and make the best land conservation decisions. For instance, he initiated a project that created maps identifying the locations of the most critical habitat and another project that evaluated the most critical lands around the Cape’s 400 freshwater ponds. His work to educate landowners and raise funds included more than 100 presentations at conferences, town meetings and in living rooms. The compact has also run a loan fund to provide land trusts with capital. So far it has given 29 loans for a total of $2.1 million to leverage protection of more than 345 acres valued at $10 million. According to the Harwich Conservation Trust, Mark has dedicated his life to preserving land, which protects the natural resources that define the very essence of Cape Cod.

Michael W. Shannon, M.D. (posthumous)
Dr. Michael Shannon, a leader in the field of pediatric environmental health, has been called the world’s pre-eminent pediatric toxicologist. Loved and admired at Children’s Hospital, Shannon reduced the risks of environmental hazards and protected millions of children worldwide through his work on lead poisoning, drug abuse and clinical pharmacology. Also known as the “dancing doctor” for his talent in modern dance, Michael devoted himself to protecting children worldwide. He was a partner to many programs in EPA and other federal agencies, offering medical expertise, technical skills, vision and compassion. Among the roles he served were: chief and chair of emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital, member of the Center for Disease Control workgroup for childhood lead poisoning, chief of the Center for Preparedness at Children’s Hospital and the first African American full professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He also made contributions through his teaching and publications as well as his devoted work with community non-profits. Michael was a pioneer in children’s health and helped establish children’s environmental health as a clinical specialty. His leadership and vision led to creation of the model Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Children’s Hospital. Michael, who appeared in Black Nativity and Urban Nutcracker, died March 10 after a trip to tango with his wife in Argentina.

Individual Environmental Merit Award:

Patricia L. Barry
Director, Medford, Mass. Energy & Environment (E&E)
As the Director of the Medford E&E, Patricia Barry has displayed exemplary leadership and devotion to the Medford Energy Independence Project, successfully constructing the first community scale wind turbine at a municipal school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Installed at the McGlynn Elementary/Middle School, the 100 kilowatt wind turbine will provide 170,000 kilowatt hours of wind power to the school, reducing an estimated $25,000 in electricity costs and offsetting 133 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Furthermore, the project will serve as a valuable educational tool, an inspiring monument, a highly visible symbol of Medford’s commitment to renewable energy, and provide leadership for other municipalities. Among many partnered endeavors Ms. Barry took on, she worked with ICLEI Sustainability for Local Governments to create a Project Case Study to provide a baseline for other communities to approach similar types of renewable energy projects in the future. Lastly, with the help from her partners, Ms. Barry successfully integrated a curriculum of renewable energy into Medford Public Schools, instilling a lasting presence of environmental awareness into the generations to come.

Mike DiBara and Tom Bienkiewicz, Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection
Scott Durkee, Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources
Mike DiBara, of the Worcester Office of MA DEP, took on the challenge of energy efficiency in water and wastewater facilities in Massachusetts, recognizing a growing need in cities and towns who are not in the financial position to make investments needed to realize potential energy savings from those facilities. Tom Bienkiewicz was also an important part of this project. Scott Durkee, of the Department of Energy Resources, provided important support for Energy Audits. Over a year ago, Mike, Tom, and Scott began an Energy Management Pilot, developing an innovative partnership with local, state and federal entities and energy utility companies to reduce energy consumption by 20%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and develop a model for strategic use of utility and public funding at fourteen water and waste water facilities. The results of the project after one year included: the investment of $9 million; annual cost savings of $1.2 million dollars/yr; annual savings of 9.4 million kilowatts/yr; the reduction of 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide/yr; and a fourteen percent savings in energy use and carbon dioxide reductions. The reason the pilot got such stunning results was the overall collaborative nature of the project. Mike was willing to work with the enormous bureaucracies of institutions such as investor- owned utilities in order to implement the project, while Tom and Scott’s expertise in this area has contributed to the ongoing success and savings in both energy and money for the participating utilities. A huge amount of time went into meetings and presentations in order to get all the parties who are part of the energy world in Massachusetts to cooperate and offer services at low or no cost to municipalities. The project is now taking on Phase II, with another 200 drinking water and 120 wastewater facilities left to be addressed.

Robert Gogan, Jr.
Recycling and Waste Manager, Harvard University
In his work as Harvard’s Recycling and Waste Manager, Rob Gogan has inspired environmental leaders across campus and led the University to remarkable achievements in sustainability and waste management. Sustainability is Rob’s lifestyle and worldview, and he uses his work to link environmental and humanitarian objectives. Not only is the existence of Harvard’s recycling program a product of his efforts, but he can also be attributed to the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of reusable Harvard excess that have been diverted from the waste stream into receptive hands. Rob connects Boston-area non-profits with Harvard’s discarded furniture and office supplies through the Surplus Distribution he created and now runs; his annual Valentine’s Day cosmetics drive provides a Cambridge woman’s shelter with hundreds of pounds of “gently used” cosmetics; and the annual Harvard “Stuff Sale” resells to new students in September what would have otherwise been tons of student move-out waste in May. All proceeds from this sale (totaling over $60,000 last year) benefit the Harvard chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Rob’s commitment to his cause has not just benefitted the local community, but inspires and enlightens the ever-changing campus community as well.

Jeremy Guay
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technology High School
Jeremy Guay has done an extensive amount of environmental work in various capacities this year to help educate best practices for autobody work. As a STAR painter and instructor at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technology High School, Jeremy has helped select and set up equipment, developed policies and practices at Bay Path High School that provided students there with a thorough knowledge and training in best practices in autobody shops, that is “greening” the profession of autobody work. The Bay Path High School shop was established in a time when many autobody shops and voc tech schools had not adopted pollution prevention operations that incorporated health and safety practices. He was also instrumental in securing the Bay Path facilities for student and voc tech instructor workshops, making a contact list for vocational directors in the MA Association of Vocational Administrators, outreach to autobody shop instructors and instructed and assisted some of the workshops himself. Always happy to stay extra time to answer questions, travel distances at his own expense and outstanding marks on evaluation sheets, it is obvious that Jeremy’s instruction was the high point of these workshops. Mr. Guay’s ability to convey practically and passionately the best practices to foster environmental stewardship and protect occupational health and safety has a lasting affect on his students, peers and other voc tech instructors.

Jeff Hanulec
Director of Engineering, Westin Copley Place
Jeff Hanulec is being recognized for his extraordinary results in the achievement of greening three Boston hotels, and for influencing other hoteliers to green their facilities as well. Beginning seven years ago when Jurys Hotel Boston opened, he persuaded the owners to fund an extensive energy efficiency retrofit that eventually led the hotel to receive an Energy Star label. Jeff then went on to work for the Westin Waltham Hotel as their director in engineering, where he again persuaded the owners to invest in energy efficiency projects. In less then a year he moved the facility’s Energy Star score from 26 to 51. Jeff also initiated a broad scale recycling program and installed equipment that reduced the hotel’s water consumption. In the summer of 2007, Jeff stepped up to his current position with Westin Copley Place, where he quickly helped secure an EPA WasteWise grant to start the facility’s recycling program. In 2008, the hotel recycled 114 tons of material, including 27 tons of organic waste. Under his guidance, the annual electricity use was reduced by 1.1 million kilowatts, gas by 125,000 therms and water by 22.5 million gallons. He also implemented many different kinds of energy efficient technologies in the hotel. Jeff’s influence also extends beyond these three hotels—he has been a presenter on an EPA Energy Star webinar on benchmarking hotels, helped Keyspan Energy on a study of the efficacy of ozone laundry equipment, is a member of Starwood’s Corporate Sustainability Council, and has been a key leader within Boston Green Tourism.

Matthew Moore
Director of Rooms and Environmental Programs, Seaport Hotel
In 2005, Matt Moore developed an environmental program for his hotel named Seaport Saves. This program enabled Seaport Hotel to increase sustainable practices throughout the organization. Under Matt’s leadership, the hotel reduced electricity use by 1.3 million kilowatts, purchased REC’s for their guest room electricity use and achieved a 43 percent recycling rate. The Seaport’s Green Team encourages their guests, team members and vendors to embrace and practice environmentally-friendly lifestyles as well. Since 2005, the Seaport Saves program has undertaken two-dozen green initiatives—many of which are groundbreaking for regional and U.S. hotels—and received numerous awards and recognition. Matt’s dedication to the environmental movement goes beyond being the eco-ambassador for Seaport. He also is an important member of Boston Green Tourism, serves on the Advisory Board for PhilaGreen Hospitality Association, and has influenced many hoteliers across the country to green their facilities.

Business, Industry and Professional Organizations Environmental Merit Award:

Lights Out Boston
City of Boston, Mass Audubon Society, CB Richard Ellis
Lights Out Boston is a partnership of the City of Boston, large commercial properties, and the Mass Audubon Society to reduce energy use, promote energy efficiency and protect migrating birds during the fall and spring migrations. This is a voluntary program where downtown skyscrapers of thirty or more floors have their architectural and interior lights turned off from 11pm to 5am. Over 34 commercial properties in Boston have joined, including iconic towers such as the John Hancock, the Prudential and International Place. Lights Out Boston protects migrating birds, which have a difficulty adapting to an urban environment. When a city skyline—especially buildings over 30 stories high—is brightly lit at night, the lights can confuse the birds, causing them to fly into the building which can kill them. Also realizing the benefits of shutting off unnecessary lighting, most building managers have continued to follow the requirements of Lights Out Boston after the end of the migratory season. They are setting an example that encourages everyone to use energy more efficiently.

Staples, Inc.
Mike Payette
Staples, Inc. is being recognized as a high-performing partner in EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, and as host and co-organizer of Alt Wheels Fleet Day 2008. Staples chooses fuel-efficient carriers to ship its office supply products long-distance and productively seeks avenues to make their fleet of 800 trucks more energy efficient. Their fleet of trucks is equipped with speed and idling limiting devices, use LED exterior and interior lights on timers, have an extra fuel tank to reduce frequency of refueling, reduce body weight with aluminum roof panels, pilot hybrid diesel/electric trucks, and much more. Nationwide, Staples’ fleet fuel economy increased from 8.5 to 10.4 mpg, or nearly 19% in the space of one year. This saved about 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel and offset about 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. At the Alt Wheels Festival in 2008, Mike Payette shared his experience and success with other fleet management professionals and demonstrated that business, nonprofits and government can work together to promote sustainable technology and smart business practices that are good for the environment and their bottom line. This drew an unprecedented roster of sponsors and speakers, as well as a large and diverse audience. As if these efforts were not enough, Staples has taken its environmental ethic beyond transportation, hosting solar arrays at twenty-five locations, a wind turbine project currently under consideration, and have scheduled a solid oxide fuel cell to provide power to a distribution facility in early 2009. Staples, Inc. is a true environmental leader in the business world.

TD Banknorth Garden
Delaware North Companies - Boston
During the past couple of years, the Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden has made considerable strides in reducing their environmental impact. Delaware North Companies – Boston, owner and operator of the TD Banknorth Garden, now provides newspaper and bottle recycling opportunities for the more than twenty thousand commuters who walk through North Station each week day and the 3.5 million people who attend concerts, shows and sporting events at the Garden. Behind the scenes Delaware North has done substantial work reducing their solid waste, increasing what they recycle and their recycling rate, reducing their energy use, and also participating in MA DEP and EPA’s WasteWise program. The Garden found ways to reduce the amount of waste they generate through reduced packaging, instituted a composting program for food waste, changed their outdoor lighting to LED technology, reducing the energy used by more than 50%, and reduced their electricity usage by 15% to 20% by working through an energy service company. Just as important as the steps they’ve taken to reduce their environmental impacts, they have been interested in evaluating whether they’re making the best choices and how they can improve the implementation of their programs. The facility recently invited MA DEP and EPA to look at what they’re doing and asked what they could do better.

Environmental, Community, Academia, & Non-profit Organizations Environmental Merit Award:

Breath of Life Dorchester Teens (B.O.L.D. Teens)
Reverend Bill Loesch, Cynthia Loesch, Nebulla Stephen, Celine O’Connor, Alexander Chery, Donalin Cazeau, Tiara Amarante, Shanaya Coke, Hyacynth Dixon, Mellisa Nash, Geralda Sylvain, Taylyse Wornum, SeWicka Bien-Aime, Ronny DeLeon, Jairo Fernandes, Rodney Simmons, Briana Miller, David Mejia
The Breath of Life Dorchester Teens (B.O.L.D. Teens) is a youth-led organization concerned with the health, environment, and safety of their community. Dorchester, Massachusetts is an economically disadvantaged minority community that confronts environmental injustices such as illegal dumping, hazardous waste, sewer overflows, and idling diesel buses on a daily basis. In 2008, the teens began to address air quality and community green space. They volunteered to work in partnership with EPA New England’s Urban Environmental Program Special Project Coordinator and the Lead Action Collaborative (LAC) to help with efforts to end childhood lead poisoning in Boston, educating themselves about lead poisoning and the Community Assessment Tool (CAT) to look at neighborhood conditions on a house-by-house, street-by-street, lot-by-lot basis to identify areas with potential high risks. The teens collected CAT data on nearly 1,000 houses that are currently being analyzed and used to focus lead poisoning prevention efforts. In addition to their lead work, the teens worked with Roots & Shoots New England on a neighborhood beautification project, and worked with Codman Square Health Council – Family Inc. in organizing a Farmer’s Market in Codman Square during the summer. The B.O.L.D. teens are a young and motivated group and have made outstanding contributions on behalf of human health and our environment.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute
As a responsible provider of healthcare services and research into the causes and prevention of cancer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is committed to the health of their patients, staff, communities and environment. In 2008 the Institute proactively sought and implemented new and better ways to meet its environmental goals through conservation, reduction, reuse, and recycling programs, and through partnerships with others in the community to safeguard the environment. Over the course of the year, the Institute collected over 262.65 tons of various materials for recycling or reuse, serving as a leader and great example to healthcare providers across the nation.

The Food Project
The Food Project gathers youth and adults from all backgrounds and abilities and gives them the opportunity to contribute purposefully to society by growing food for the hungry and caring for the land. The 170 teens, staff and over 3,000 volunteers practice sustainable agriculture by employing techniques such as composting, drip irrigation, and limited pesticide use to leave a smaller footprint on the earth. In 2008 alone, they raised over 200,000 pounds of produce–40 percent going to hunger relief organizations, and 60 percent being sold at reasonable prices through a local cooperative and farmers markets. The Food Project also focuses on youth development so that teens will learn civic responsibility, environmental appreciation, earning a salary, how to organize in the community, public speaking and job training. This organization serves as a resource center for other groups and individuals worldwide, providing capacity building for organizations and educators to learn their innovative practices through materials, youth training, and professional development opportunities.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) illustrates how an academic institution can find ways to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency while offering students a concrete example of how to integrate environmentally-friendly energy into everyday life. MMA has brought renewable energy to its campus with wind and solar technology, while promoting a host of other energy-efficiency and pollution-reduction efforts. With the help of partners, Division of Capital Asset Management, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Research Lab, the MMA erected a 660 kilowatt wind turbine. MMA has also recently installed roof-top photovoltaic solar panels that can generate up to 81 kilowatts of electricity. The MMA also runs their campus in an environmentally-sustainable manner, with a computerized energy management system, recycling efforts, water conservation, Green Seal purchasing programs, and green landscaping. The MMA also has extensive future plans to continue to bring down energy costs and reducing harmful emissions.

Methuen Idle Reduction Collaboration
The citizens of Methuen, Massachusetts, have struggled with addressing the chronic, long-duration idling by trucks and other vehicles patronizing the several commercial and industrial businesses at 126 Merrimack Street and by long-haul trucks and highway contractor snowplows using the property as a stopover and staging area, suffering from the resulting fumes and noise for several years. Working with EPA and local players, the Collaborative learned what leverage they had over idlings under state and local law, and worked together to monitor the property and “nip in the bud” any renewed idling. Improved communication and collaboration on the local level means that EPA input had a wide, constructive and lasting impact, while also providing valuable feedback on what interventions and recommendations worked and what did not. All forms of idling onsite are greatly diminished, making the neighbors happy and city officials more empowered, while still enabling the businesses to continue to function.

New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)
Bethany Card, Susannah King
Beth and Susy have developed the Northeast Regional Mercury total maximum daily load (TMDL) that lays out a plan for the reduction of atmospheric deposition of mercury in the New England states and New York, which will improve water quality and human health impacts. Years of mercury deposition has led to widespread fish consumption advisories throughout the region. Recognizing that little was being done to control out-of-region upwind sources (such as coal-fired power plants, municipal waste combustors, etc.), Beth and Susy not only took on and successfully completed the development of a regional TMDL to address the mercury deposition, they did it in a cost-effective manner. After the call for reductions have been attained and water quality goals are met, fish tissue concentrations will be observed. The real results will be fish safe to eat and a significant risk reduction to human health.

Salem Recycles
In early 2008, Mayor Driscoll appointed the recycling committee “Salem Recycles” to start a green initiative to develop ways to increase recycling throughout the city and promote other green efforts. During their first year, the committee has distinguished itself by hosting a number of widely successful events, and was the primary force educating the citizens of Salem in the form of pamphlets, letters, newspaper columns, personal recognition, as well as information regarding the regulations for the new trash contract. The committee also continues various recycling initiatives with various partners throughout the city. Since its inception just one year ago, recycling rates have improved by over 50 percent, making Salem a leader on the North Shore regarding recycling efforts.

Local, State or Federal Governmental Environmental Merit Award:

Town of Easton, MA
The citizens of Easton for 40 years have been at the forefront of open space preservation and environmental protection. The town has more than 3,000 acres under conservation, many of them the habitat of rare and endangered species. The town has also taken a lead in water conservation and watershed protection, wetlands protection and environmental advocacy and planning. More recently, the town has worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by creating more walkable communities and a Green Communities Task Force to investigate ways to reduce municipal consumption of fuel and electricity. Education, like the annual children’s poster contest, continues to be the most important tool for changing the way residents use water and protecting the drinking water supply. In the past year, the town acquired two more acres of land specifically for drinking supply protection. Easton has also begun to track energy and fuel consumption and each department is charged with reducing consumption by 5 percent over one year. All of this began with land conservation efforts involving a small group of citizens who recognized the importance of preserving open space and forested areas and guided the town in acquiring about 250 acres in an area called Wheaton Farm.

Solar Boston Program
The Solar Boston Program, founded in 2008 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities Initiative, is dedicated to increasing solar energy in Boston to 25 megawatts by 2015. In less than a year, the team produced a map of the city’s solar resources, planned a procurement path for municipal solar installations and worked with other agencies to promote solar power. Its most visible accomplishment is a GIS map that lets residents evaluate the solar energy production potential of any building in Boston. The map, produced by city employees, received international attention from other cities looking to replicate it. The team also found the 10 roofs in the city with the largest solar potential and contacted building owners. Program staff has connected businesses and residents to installers, utilities and rebate programs and has held training sessions to encourage solar growth. Since the program began, solar capacity in Boston had more than tripled to 1.8 megawatts as of February. The Solar program has succeeded in large part by bringing together so many different parts of the Boston community in a single year.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Team – MA DEP; MA DOER
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Team has set up innovative measures to control greenhouse gases, including the first-in-the-nation auction of CO2 emissions allowances. The six New England states are among 10 states pioneering this first mandatory cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and states have committed to cap and then reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by power plants in their region, limiting the total regional contribution to greenhouse gases. A September auction brought in $28 million for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and Maryland and two more auctions have been held since. New England states have made more than $80 million in revenues from the auctions, which can be used for future energy cutting and efficiency programs.

More Information: Environmental Merit Awards (epa.gov/ne/ra/ema)


4/23/09 - Edited to correct typographical error ("Gogan" was misspelled).