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ALBANY - U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand said she's dreaming of a green Christmas.

The recently re-elected Democrat from Greenport permanently retired nine tons of carbon dioxide pollution allowances on Monday evening, for a cost of $75, the first person to do so. She bought three $25 certificates, one for her and one for each of her sons.

"It's a very special Christmas gift for each of them," she said.

Gillibrand bought the credits through the Cool Park/Healthy Planet Program, which was created by the Adirondack Council and is in its first week.

"We wanted to create a program where people could pay a modest amount of money, yet still make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions," said Adirondack Council executive director Brian Houseal. "For $25, people can retire a block of three full tons."

"As far as we know, it is the only program like it in the U.S.," said John Sheehan, communications director for the council. Sheehan added that he could not find an emissions retirement program anywhere in Europe, either.

"There have been some other, voluntary offset programs where people agree to do certain things to reduce their carbon footprint," he said, "but nothing that has been government-mandated."

There is an image of an Adirondack moose on the certificates, and Sheehan said, "That's not just a decoration. The most vulnerable habitat in the Park to changes in climate is the boreal forests of the Adirondacks that are the best habitat for moose. This habitat is expected to retreat to Canada if average temperatures rise just a few degrees Farenheit."

The council's program is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program to reduce power plant emissions in 10 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Power plants in these states are required to purchase one "carbon allowance" for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit. Every year, the number of allowances available at auction is reduced and the price is increased, making it more economical for plants to reduce emissions than buy allowances. The goal is a 10 percent emissions reduction in the region by 2019.

The RGGI is a result of an agreement between the states; there is no federal involvement.

"We're trying to get a program like this enacted on a national level," Sheehan said. "We are very gratified to have a member of Congress purchasing the first one. That it was a representative of the Adirondacks was especially important to us."

RGGI auctions require a minimum purchase of 1,000 tons, or more than $3,000. As this is beyond most people's means, the council bought 1,000 tons and is selling them in three-ton, $25 chunks, which would equal more than $8,300. The council will use some of the proceeds to buy more allowances in the future and to "support its research, advocacy and education efforts," according to a prepared statement.

Three tons of carbon dioxide is a lot - the amount generated by two round-trip flights from New York to Rome, according to the council. Seven tons is one average American's annual electricity use.

Contact Nathan Brown at 891-2600 ext. 26 or nbrown@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.