Regional cap-and-trade program has added $1.3 billion in economic activity to nine New England and Mid-Atlantic states since 2011, while decreasing their carbon emissions by 15 percent…In addition to stimulating economy and reducing carbon, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has also reduced cost of electricity for consumers, saving residential, businesses, and public users $460 million, the report from the Analysis Group found. So while opponents of the Clean Power Plan say that it will raise electricity prices for consumers and depress the economy, putting a price on carbon can actually have the opposite effect. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan, expected to be released next month, will require states to reduce the amount of carbon emitted from the electricity sector–Imagine if we had an EPA anything other than toothless!

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