Companies are marking their calendars for September 10, 2008,  when the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will hold its first regional auction of carbon dioxide emissions allowances.  The RGGI announced that pending final negotiations, four companies, World Energy Solutions, Inc., Perrin Quarles Associates, Inc., ICF International and Greenhouse Gas Management Institute will assist with the administration of the cap-and-trade program.  According to RGGI, an initial reserve price for one allowance (one ton of carbon dioxide emissions) will be set at $1.86.  The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, is an agreement among the Governors of ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The RGGI participating states have committed to cap and then reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that certain power plants are allowed to emit, limiting the region’s total contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. The participating states have agreed to implement RGGI through a regional cap-and-trade program whereby the participating states anticipate auctioning nearly the entire annual regional emissions budget, which initially is approximately 188 million short tons of CO2. Each ton of CO2  will constitute an “allowance.”   RGGI's second quarterly auction will be held December 17, 2008. For additional information on the auction go to www.rggi.org/press.htm.