“Climate change is not a problem for another generation”, Obama said, in a Facebook video posted late Saturday night.
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“We’re seeing agriculture companies all but shut down a quarter of their farms because of climate-related changes”, Lubber added.
He said the time lag would not weaken the power plant rules or stop the US from meeting its global commitments to fight climate change. That’s a two-percentage-point increase of the draft version. But they can dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air. “That really ups what you can get out of those sources”. It said that wind generation in West Virginia could more than triple by 2030 and solar capacity could increase from less than 2 megawatts to 410 megawatts over that same time.
The EPA will also be dropping its de facto mandate that new coal-fired power plants use carbon capture and storage technology – one of the most contentious aspects of pending EPA regulations for new power plants. By 2030, consumers in the states of Kentucky (PDF), Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia (PDF) could see savings of up to $160 per year.
So, one key element that I will be looking for is whether the EPA heeds our recommendations to build a bigger role for renewable into the final plan.
“The final rollout of the Clean Power Plan will have polluters throwing everything they can at the EPA and the White House because they know the deck is stacked against them legally”, said Joanne Spalding, chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club. But the Chamber report also made several assumptions that differed from the EPA’s proposed plan. The long-term fate of the measure depends on its ability to withstand the inevitable legal challenges from states and industries opposed to it.
Conversely, the study found that a regional approach would be more cost-effective and less disruptive “and may provide mutually beneficial opportunities for more efficient interstate exchange of economic resources, emissions, and abatements that are not available within state boundaries”, the report said.
Their chances for success are slim, however, as the majority of Americans understand the importance of taking meaningful action to combat climate change. “That’s a promise”.
The D.C. Circuit has already determined that the proposed emission standards are not a final agency action, and that court has denied a petition to review the proposed emission standards before they become a final rule. He championed a bill that would have capped carbon emissions, but it died in Congress. He also celebrated America’s gains in Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest oil producer, a move that irked the green movement. A number of coal-producing states and business associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are poised to sue after the final rule comes out.
“At Calvert Investments, we believe strongly that a combination of market, technological and environmental forces are all inexorably pushing companies and governments towards the need for renewable and cleaner power sources”, said Stu Dalheim, Vice President, Shareholder Advocacy, Calvert Investments. Three of its rivals – Walter Energy, Patriot Coal and James River Coal – have already filed for bankruptcy during the past 15 months. This variability is meant to reflect both the potential reduction options available to the state as well as reductions expected from existing policies. Experts estimate that as many as 25 states will join in a lawsuit against the rules and that the disputes will end up before the Supreme Court.
The effort failed – the judges were perplexed by the notion of blocking a mere proposal – but the arguments are likely to live on. The rule was invalidated by a federal appellate court in August 2012 after it was challenged by a group of upwind states and industry because it enforced pollution controls primarily on coal plants.
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U.S. marine ecosystems and fisheries have long been an economic engine and cultural source of wealth for our country – an invaluable resource that sustains the very air we breathe.
