Governor John G. Rowland of Connecticut hosted the 26th Annual Conference of New England
Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP), from August 26 to 28, 2001, at the Water's
Edge Resort in Westbrook, CT. All six New England Governors and five Eastern Canadian Premiers
attended.
The Conference was honored by the presence of a past member of the Conference, former
Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci, who, in April, 2001, was appointed by President George
W. Bush as U.S. Ambassador to Canada. The Conference presented Ambassador Cellucci with a
special proclamation noting "his dedication to this Conference over the years and for his
substantial work in strengthening the shared economic, environmental, cultural and governmental
ties that exist between the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces." In his remarks
Ambassador Cellucci said: "Little did I know last year, when I co-chaired this conference with
Premier Hamm in Halifax, that I would be returning this year not as the governor but as the
United States Ambassador to Canada." He addressed important issues in the bilateral
relationship, from integrating the North American energy market to border crossings and
the U.S.-Canada military partnership.
In his remarks about the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers,
the co-chair, Premier Bernard Landry of Quebec said: "This Conference attests eloquently to
an original partnership in which all members acknowledge a community of interest that transcends
geographical boundaries."
A summary of the Governors' and Premiers' discussions is presented below.
Trade & Globalization
Expanding trade opportunities and creating economic opportunities for large and small firms
in the region were key issues as the Governors and Premiers discussed the Conference's
work on trade and globalization issues.
Elizabeth Beale, President of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, reported on international
trade in the post-Free Trade Agreement era, with a focus on such issues as transportation,
export diversity, e-commerce and agriculture. Ms. Beale noted that: "Small firms are still
hampered, to some extent, by traditional issues related to marketing, working capital, and
access to skills."
Maria Cino, Assistant Secretary and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
of the U.S. Department of Commerce, noted: "Open markets promote economic and political freedom,
creating competition, opportunities and independent thinking, which strengthens democracy."
A panel of state and provincial officials also addressed the work of the Trade & Globalization
Committee, and challenges in the areas of transportation and freight movements, information
technology labor force and infrastructure needs, and border crossing issues.
Conference Resolution 26-5 directs the Trade & Globalization Committee to "enter into
discussions with the business and research communities regarding the development of a
trade and infrastructure study that will examine current and future opportunities for
trade development and identify strategic infrastructure development / coordination
opportunities to fully realize the region's commercial potential in the future."
Information Technology / Workforce Training
Premier Bernard Lord reported on the Conference's "Knowledge Industry Innovators Forum"
held at Fredericton, New Brunswick, in June, 2001. Topics included: venture capital; the
digital divide; education and entrepreneurism; labor force development; IT infrastructure;
taxation; and air access, among others.
The Conference directed its Trade & Globalization Committee to continue "working with innovators
to profile the region's knowledge economy sector."
The Conference discussed information technology workforce issues, with a presentation by
Mary Ann Hanley of Connecticut and Elaine McKinnon of XWave. In Resolution 26-6, the
Conference stated it will "cooperate in addressing information technology workforce needs
to enhance and build upon state and provincial initiatives."
The Conference tasked a group of key knowledge industry stakeholders to work together to
identify appropriate actions in such areas as skill standards and assessment tools; improving
regional information technology projections and analysis initiatives; and developing networks
and sharing best practices. Retaining talented young people in the region, and enhancing
workforce training for all, are key goals.
Energy
Two panels of presenters identified current key issues. The first panel was composed of
Michael Morris, chairman, president and CEO of Northeast Utilities, and Andre Caille, president
and CEO of Hydro-Quebec. They discussed concerns over the California electricity situation,
progress made in this region regarding restructuring and the addition of new power plants, and
the challenges of siting new projects, such as electric transmission lines, to meet demand.
Mr. Caille said: "We see transmission capacity as one of the last pieces of the puzzle for
restructuring the electricity industry." Noted Mr. Morris: "Less [price] volatility is better
for the industry, and is obviously better for the consumer. And less volatility goes with more
investment in transmission to reduce the bottlenecks."
Governor Lincoln Almond expressed his concerns about the difficulties in siting transmission
projects and the resultant regional impacts -- "we need," he said, "to come to a resolution in
our own area as to how to solve the siting problems."
A second panel, consisting of representatives of energy and environmental agencies from
Connecticut, New Brunswick and Quebec, addressed a range of issues, focusing largely on
the need for greater coordination on energy and environmental issues. Connecticut Environment
Commissioner Arthur Rocque observed: "To echo Governor Rowland's opening remarks, it seems
that we need two things here in this region: a clean environment and reliable energy."
The Conference adopted two resolutions relating to energy. Resolution 26-4 directs the
Conference's Energy, Environment and Coordinating Committees to "continue to jointly coordinate
common strategies for the resolution of regional energy, environmental and transportation issues."
In Resolution 26-2, the Conference endorsed the plans of the Province of New Brunswick to host
an energy forum in 2002. The forum will be developed jointly by the Committees on energy,
environment and trade and globalization.
Global Warming
The Governors and Premiers accepted the Conference's "Climate Change Action Plan 2001."
Resolution 26-4 directs that the Conference's environment and energy committees "form
a Task Force of energy, environmental and other appropriate officials from state and
provincial agencies to develop specific strategies and oversee and coordinate the
implementation of the Climate Change Action Plan."
Governor Angus King said: "I think this action today will be looked back upon five, ten years
from now as one of the most significant ones that this organization has ever taken."
The Climate Change Action Plan is the result of considerable regional cooperation,
coordination and commitment. In March 2001, a major workshop on the issue was held at
Fredericton, New Brunswick, focusing on issues of science, public policy response,
economic and policy measures, regulatory instruments, maintaining valued environments,
adaptation of infrastructure and resource industries, transportation, and economic
opportunities.
The Climate Change Action Plan includes 9 action steps:
Establishment of a regional standardized greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions inventory;
Establishment of a plan for reducing GHG emissions and conserving energy;
Promoting public awareness;
State and provincial governments to lead by example;
Reduction of greenhouse gases from the electricity sector;
Reduction of total energy demand through conservation;
Reduction and/or adaptation of negative social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change;
Decrease in the transportation sector's growth in GHG emissions;
Creation of a regional emissions registry and the exploration of a trading mechanism.
Premier Bernard Lord said: "We need to show that we are leaders in our own jurisdictions,
in our own region. But as we lead the way, we need to pull others along with us, including
our respective federal governments in Ottawa and in Washington." Added Governor Jeanne Shaheen:
"This agreement sends a powerful message to the rest of the nation about the importance of
working cooperatively to cut pollution and clean up the air."
Mercury
The Conference reported that substantial progress has been achieved in mercury emissions
reductions in the region in recent years, and increased its commitment to further reductions
- 75% or greater by 2010, based on the 1998 baseline.
The Conference's Mercury Task Force currently estimates that regional mercury emissions
will be reduced between 50% and 55% by 2003, exceeding the interim reduction goal set in 1998.
Major reductions from the region's biggest sources have been achieved, in many cases ahead of
schedule. Over the past year, municipal waste combustor facilities across the region have
installed new state-of-the-art pollution control equipment. Mercury emissions from medical
waste incinerators have also been substantially reduced. Other regional sources of mercury
releases are also being addressed, including utilities and wastewater discharges and releases
attributable to broken and disposed mercury-added products.
In Resolution 26-3 adopted at Westbrook, the Conference directs its state and provincial
agencies "to identify and implement actions to achieve an overall 75%, or greater, regional
reduction in anthropogenic mercury releases to the environment from regional sources by or
before 2010, and to re-evaluate this regional goal in 2005 to allow for new data to be taken
into account."
The Conference also directed its Committee to complete a report on mercury monitoring in the
region; complete an update of multi-pollutant control options for utilities; continue to advance
prevention and education initiatives; and advocate for long-term mercury "retirement" strategies.
Governor Jane Swift said: "The reductions we've accomplished are significant and getting to
the 75 percent level will provide [even more] health benefits for pregnant women and young
children."
Acid Rain
The Conference continues its pioneering work to reduce acid rain emissions and increase public
awareness of the health, environmental and economic impacts of acid deposition.
The Conference released its report, "The Acid Rain Partnership: Data Without Borders,"
prepared by its Committee on the Environment, addressing these issues. In Resolution 26-3,
the Conference stated that "there is increasing evidence of the interrelationships between
respiratory health problems, acid deposition, and the emission of air pollutants."
The Province of Quebec will host in the next year an NEG/ECP symposium on the impacts of
acid rain on human health, bringing together state and provincial environmental and health
agencies.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Governor Rowland said: "I want to thank all of my colleagues
for their professionalism and for their commitment, because I think it serves the Conference
well but, more importantly, it serves our constituents well."
The next annual conference will be held August 25-27, 2002, at Quebec City, Quebec.
