In Massachusetts, New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Commit to Continued Cross-Border Collaboration

Press Release

The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG-ECP) met to discuss coordinated efforts on shared economic, energy and environmental priorities at the 45th annual NEG-ECP Conference held on September 9 and 10 in Boston, Massachusetts. Discussions built on last year’s conference in Québec City, the first in-person meeting of the NEG-ECP since 2018.

The clean energy transition was the primary topic of discussion, with a focus on achieving broad regional economic and reliability benefits, energy independence, and job growth. The leaders held two formal discussions on developing a regional offshore wind supply chain and strategies for hard-to-decarbonize sectors. Through two resolutions, the Governors and Premiers agreed to reconvene the Northeast International Committee on Energy (NICE) to pursue regional collaboration and planning on these and other energy issues, as well as direct the Committee on Environment to reconvene and consider further steps on ecological connectivity, climate adaptation and food security. These two standing committees of the NEG-ECP have long served as vehicles for pursuing initiatives that the Governors and Premiers direct at the annual conference.

On Monday, the Governors and Premiers visited the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where they experienced the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Bridge Simulator and toured the cutting-edge facility training the workforce for maritime fields, including the offshore wind industry. On Tuesday, the group spent the day at the Boston University Center for Data and Computing Science for a series of roundtables on offshore wind supply chain and addressing hard-to-decarbonize sectors. The Center is the school’s most sustainable and energy-efficient building to date and the largest building in Boston not reliant on fossil fuels, using closed-loop geothermal wells that provide heating and cooling, as well as electric appliances for cooking.

Quotes from Conference Participants:

Governor Phil Scott, Vermont:
“A strong relationship across our region is essential to the strength of our states and provinces – from the economy and energy to workforce and infrastructure – and these meetings are important to continuing to build on these connections. By sharing ideas and collaborating on shared priorities, we each bring back new opportunities and approaches to improving the lives of our residents, and our entire region.”

About the ECP-NEG Conference

Since 1973, the six New England states and the five Eastern Canadian provinces have worked cooperatively to address their shared interests across the border. Through the annual conferences of governors and premiers and discussions of joint committees, the NEG-ECP encourages cooperation by developing networks and relationships, taking collective action, engaging in regional projects, undertaking research, and increasing public awareness of shared interests.

The 11-member jurisdictions of NEG-ECP are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Québec.

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