Regional State Climate Agreement Wrestles With Equity Demands

Nearly a dozen northeastern states are ramping up efforts to squeeze more carbon emissions from the nation’s first cap-and-trade program amid increasing pressures to steer more of its revenues and focus to long-neglected and disadvantaged communities.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is heading into the final stretch of a multiyear revamp of the program, which has halved regional power sector emissions from 2005 levels. The pact has generated billions of dollars to states, benefiting low-income households through weatherization efforts and shielding ratepayers from higher electricity costs.

But environmental justice groups say RGGI needs a significant overhauling to ensure communities that ...