Rhode Island has joined 10 other Northeast and Middle Atlantic states in agreeing to set common standards to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted by fuels burned for transportation and heating.

The ultimate goal is to require fuel distributors to lower the carbon content of fuels used in Rhode Island and the other states in the compact. The distributors could use their own initiatives to meet the standards.

Overall carbon emissions could be reduced by using more biofuels and electric energy or using strategies to reduce miles traveled by vehicles.

The state has agreed to negotiate a memorandum of understanding as to how to set the standards by the end of the year.

“All we’re really achieving here is to collectively define expectations and to regionally put us forth on this path,” said W. Michael Sullivan, director of the state Department of Environmental Management. He signed the document committing Rhode Island to the initiative.

“If we do this right, it’s not something that changes tomorrow or next spring,” Sullivan said. But, he said, it puts Rhode Island in step with many of its neighboring states.

The 11 states are the same as those who are participating in the new Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, plus Pennsylvania. Other participants are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.

The RGGI states are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring generators of electricity to buy carbon credits to match their carbon output. Eventually, the states will require carbon reductions by the generators. Two auctions for the credits have been held so far, and deemed successful by outside monitors. The auctions have raised about $145 million, which will be distributed to participating states for energy-efficiency projects.

Electricity generation is a big producer of gases that contribute to global warming. But Sullivan said transportation generates even more gases, so it is important to find ways to reduce emissions from that sector.

Last year, Governor Carcieri announced that Rhode Island intends to adopt the strict automobile emission standards promulgated by California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The automakers have been fighting that initiative in court.

Joining the other states in setting carbon fuel standards is the second step toward reducing emissions from vehicles, Sullivan said.

The regional agreement was announced this week by Ian Bowles, secretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Bowles, in a statement, said, “Working together, the 11 states from Maine to Delaware will cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, spur the development of clean-energy technologies like advanced biofuels and electric cars, and reduce our dependence on petroleum.”

A letter of intent signed by the participating states notes that the interconnected nature of fuel distribution in the Northeast and the Middle Atlantic region makes a regional approach easier to implement. It also commits the states to working with other states and the federal government to influence possible federal standards on a broader scale.

plord@projo.com