The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its Clean Power Plan proposal Monday, which would cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, the largest source of carbon pollution in the United States.
The proposal will protect public health, move the country toward a cleaner environment, and fight climate change while supplying Americans with reliable and affordable power, said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
"Climate change, fueled by carbon pollution, supercharges risks to our health, our economy, and our way of life,” said McCarthy.
Power plants produce about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
Although the amount of arsenic, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particle pollution that power plants can emit is regulated, there are no national limits on carbon pollution levels.
The proposed plan builds on actions already underway in states and the power industry to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, she said. The proposal follows through on the steps laid out in Pres. Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan and a June 2013 Presidential Memorandum.
By 2030, the steps the EPA is proposing would:
- Cut carbon emission from the power industry by 30 percent nationwide below 2005 levels.
- Cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide by more than 25 percent.
- Avoid up to 6,600 premature deaths, up to 150,000 asthma attacks in children, and up to 490,000 missed work or school days – providing up to $93 billion in climate and public health benefits.
- Shrink electricity bills about 8 percent by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand in the electrical system.
The plan will be carried out through a state-federal partnership under which states identify a strategy using either current or new electricity production and pollution control policies.
The proposal provides guidelines for states to meet state goals to reduce carbon pollution and gives them the flexibility to design a program for their situation. States can choose a mix of generation using diverse fuels, energy efficiency, and demand management to meet the goals. It allows them to work alone or with other states to develop multi-state plans.
State plans are due by June 2016, but states have the option of using a two-step process if more time is needed.
States that have already invested in energy efficiency programs will be able to build on these programs during the compliance period to help make progress toward meeting their goal, McCarthy said.
Forty-seven states have utilities that offer energy efficiency programs to reduce demand, 38 have renewable energy standards or goals, and 10 have market-based greenhouse gas emissions programs.
Since last summer, the EPA has worked with state, tribal, and local governments, industry and labor leaders, non-profits, and others to gather information and obtain feedback.
The EPA will accept comment on the proposal for 120 days after publication in the Federal Register and will hold four public hearings during the week of July 28 in Denver, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.
Based on the input, the EPA will finalize the standards in June 2015.
In 2009, the EPA determined that greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans' health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.
Fact sheets and details about the proposed rule are available at
http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan.
For more information on Obama’s Climate Action Plan, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change.
