Energy and environment among issues for premiers and governors meeting

BOSTON — Energy, the environment, and climate change are expected to be among the key topics when the New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers gather Monday in Boston.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan are co-chairing the conference.

MacLauchlan says he expects a fair bit of discussion on renewable energy and what Eastern Canada can offer.

“New England is looking to obtain significant additional amounts of renewable energy over the next several years. They’ve got requirements to reduce some of their carbon based energy,” he said.

Despite the looming U.S. election, MacLauchlan says it’s best that the Canadian delegation avoid making much comment on the potential outcomes.

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“Everybody there is in politics but we’ll be pretty careful not to mix ourselves too far into the U.S. election,” he said.

Still, there’s no doubt that the election will surface in at least the informal conversations.

New Hampshire Governor Margaret Wood Hassan is running for a seat in the Senate, while Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo was a co-chair of the Democratic National Convention.

“I think you always have to be alert to what might happen if you got a more protectionist U.S. government, but the ties are substantial,” MacLauchlan said.

In the case of Prince Edward Island, the United States is the province’s biggest trading partner, and a full third of P.E.I.’s trade is with New England.

This is the 40th conference for the leaders of the six states and five provinces. They have been meeting since 1973.

— By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton.

The Canadian Press