There are two main reasons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Janet McCabe: Renewable sources such as wind and solar are getting cheaper and easier to build, and the EPA considered that states in some cases could easily source clean power from neighbors if they didn’t have the capacity to generate it themselves.
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The demands reach beyond the EPA’s authority, and threaten America’s otherwise growing energy economy with higher electricity costs and energy portfolios unattainable and too expensive for most states, particularly Michigan.
Nationally, the plan aims to cut carbon emissions by 32 percent in the next 15 years.
“Fourth, apply the power-plant targets to each state”.
“It’s the biggest, most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change“, Obama said, launching the plan on Monday.
States have regulated their power systems since the early days of electrification, but the EPA is now usurping this role to nationalize power generation and consumption.
Even before the final rule was announced, the governor’s office said it was planning to challenge the rules in court. The Republican National Committee released a statement calling the rule “yet another job-killing Obama policy”.
He said forcing states to rush forward with implementing the plan deprives the courts of that chance and “will drive changes that are unrecoverable”. The is the lynchpin of a successful global agreement and the Clean Power Plan is lynchpin of our domestic program that’s puts us in a position to make the commitments.
Still, local residents won’t see immediate change. Nevada ranks among the top states for both solar and geothermal potential, which means Nevada is set to become a major exporter of affordable, reliable renewable energy. Just 10 account nearly half the overall burden, with Texas (12.5%), California (7%) and Pennsylvania (4.3%) the most polluting states. Less than 1 percent comes from wind, said Enck.
New York’s agriculture industry and ski resorts in the state are applauding the plan, Enck said, because climate change threatens to hurt their bottom line in the decades ahead. A spokesman for the agency said it was still analyzing the details.
The final rule emphasizes the role of energy efficiency as a key compliance tool and provides states with guidance for how to incorporate third-party financed (non-ratepayer) energy efficiency projects, such as energy savings performance contracts, into broader strategies to comply with the plan. Many are anxious about the economic consequences that could come from increased pressure on utilities and industries as the federal government looks to cut carbon emissions.
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US President Barack Obama has unveiled an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s coal-burning power plants, with the White House hoping that nations like India and China will be fully on board for a landmark climate change deal in Paris.
