Cap and trade is an environmental policy tool that delivers results with a mandatory cap on emissions while providing sources flexibility in how they comply. Successful cap and trade programs reward innovation, efficiency, and early action and provide strict environmental accountability without inhibiting economic growth.
Examples of successful cap and trade programs include the nationwide Acid Rain Program and the regional NOx Budget Trading Program in the Northeast. Additionally, EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) on March 10, 2005, to build on the success of these programs and achieve significant additional emission reductions.
Quick Facts about Cap and Trade
Select a map below to find out how these programs are reducing pollution.
Helpful Links
- Environmental Monitoring
- Emissions Monitoring
- NOx Budget Trading Program
- Power Sector Analysis
- Progress and Results
- Resource Center
In the News
- Allowance Markets Assessment: A Closer Look at the Two Biggest Price Changes in the Federal SO2 and NOX Allowance Markets White Paper, April 23, 2009(PDF 10pp., 58K, About PDF)
- The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Preliminary Analysis of the Waxman-Markey Discussion Draft in the 111th Congress, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, April 2009
- Status of Acid Rain, NOx Budget Trading and Clean Air Interstate Rule Program Emissions: End of 2008, April 2009(Powerpoint 22MB)
- "A Multi-Pollutant Strategy - An integrated approach could prove more effective for controlling emissions" (PDF 7pp., 513K, About PDF)
- "The U.S. Acid Rain Program: Key Insights from the Design, Operation, and Assessment of a Cap-and-Trade Progra." (PDF 12pp, 11.5 MB, About PDF)