The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers met in person for the first time since 2018 this weekend in Quebec City. At the end of the two-day meeting, they briefed reporters.
Since 1973 the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers have met annually to discuss issues of common concern. The pandemic forced a pause in the meetings and this year they gathered in Quebec City for the first in-person meeting since 2018 in Stowe, Vermont.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault hosted the meeting and speaking through an interpreter said it was productive.
“We have many relationships in our economy but also many challenges that are common to us. And one of them now that we have is the fight against climate change. And so we have talked a lot about how we can better reduce the greenhouse gasses. I am very proud to say that Quebec is a state who has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in the states and provinces. And most of the states here also have greenhouse gas emissions that are low.”
Legault said they talked about the importance of increasing renewable energy capacity by 2050. They also discussed how to facilitate a standardized electric vehicle charging network.
“We also talked a lot about transportation. There are some places like in Vermont many tourists that go there are from Quebec. And so we’re going to need charging stations because there are more and more electric vehicles. Also we talked about, in certain cases this was not as known, that many of the provinces and the states especially Maine have many critical minerals. Of course, all this within a context of inflation. We have many challenges regarding the cost of living. And so we have to be cautious with the transition costs. But the best way is to develop a green economy and this is how we create wealth and reduce GHS’s”
Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, co-chair of the group, said they rode a hydrogen train during the conference and learned about other innovative green technologies.
“It’s been a wonderful time to foster, to strengthen our bonds as neighbors, as regional partners, as economic drivers particularly in this area of clean energy. Clean energy is a prime example of how we can work together and our conversations really shed further light on real opportunities that lie ahead. We affirmed our mutual interest in energy security, renewable resource development, in building out the infrastructure needed to electrify our vehicle fleets and enhance the ties between our electric grids.”
Healey noted Massachusetts is working to create a green economy by establishing the country’s first climate chief, building the nation’s first utility-scale off-shore wind farm and forming a climate bank to support affordable housing.
“There’s more to do. But we know that ultimately we will not succeed by going it alone. The climate of course doesn’t recognize state boundaries, international borders or political parties. And that coupled with the fact that all of our energy systems are so interconnected we absolutely must work together. Pursuing our common goals as a region will allow all of us to develop a clean energy system that is both reliable and also affordable. In our discussions today we n=made progress towards these goals. We look forward to identifying action steps to build a collective momentum towards a regional clean energy system and really serve as an economic engine for our regions.”
In a joint statement the governors and premiers agreed that their current shared priorities are linked to a green economy including “energy independence and the transition to affordable, clean, and renewable energy; and the development of critical and strategic minerals essential to decarbonization.”
