By setting standards for carbon pollution from power plants-the single largest source of carbon pollution in the nation, accounting for almost one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions-the EPA hopes to protect the health of the nation’s future, and aid the environment in the fight against climate change.
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As Scott puts it, these new regulations, which the White House calls America’s Clean Power Plan, is the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s plan to combat climate change. In a video posted to Facebook, Obama said the limits were backed up by decades of data showing that without tough action, the world will face more extreme weather and escalating health problems like asthma.
The president says climate change is no longer a problem for another generation to address. “Not anymore”. 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. “That’s why state leaders across the country are coming to the same conclusion – that we should not sacrifice our power system to an unworkable plan built on a faulty interpretation of the law”.
In his preliminary proposal, Obama had mandated a 30 % nationwide minimize in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, in comparison with 2005 ranges. The final version will require a 32 percent cut instead, said the officials, who weren’t authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity.
Changes between the draft and final version include a greater emphasis on renewable power, less reliance on energy efficiency, and more time for states to phase in emissions cuts, according to White House officials. “It’s a good plan, and as president, I’d defend it”, Clinton said in a release. New, more efficient plants that are replacing older and dirtier ones have already pushed emissions down almost 13 percent since 2005, putting them about halfway to meeting Obama’s goal. The EPA’s plan will accomplish this by in part by giving states credit for solar or wind projects that break ground in the next few years, before the rule kicks in in 2022, the official said. The EPA is now expected to reveal a “federal implementation plan” that states would be forced to adopt if they miss a 2016 deadline for submitting plans on how they propose to meet their targets.
It will create a Clean Energy Incentive Program to reward states that take early action to deploy renewable energy projects before the regulation takes effect in 2022.
Even as natural gas gains in popularity, hundreds of coal-fired power plants dotted across the country provide about 37 percent of the U.S. electricity supply, ahead of natural gas and nuclear energy.
The stricter limits included in the final plan were certain to incense energy industry advocates who had already balked at the more lenient limits in the proposed plan. However the Obama administration stated its tweaks would reduce power prices and handle considerations about energy grid reliability.
He said there have been no federal limits to date on carbon pollution from power plants, the biggest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Obama’s rule assigns custom-made targets to every state, then leaves it as much as the state to find out tips on how to meet them.
Compared to the proposed rule, the new final version cuts more carbon pollution from the power sector, does it with more renewable energy and less natural gas, while providing more flexibility along the way to states trying to meet their targets. Never before has the U.S. sought to restrict carbon dioxide from existing power plants.
The US Environmental Protection Agency previously proposed similar regulations in 2012 and 2014.
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But even in lots of these states, energy corporations and native utility authorities have began getting ready to satisfy the targets. Lawmakers in Congress were also expected to redouble efforts to use legislation to stop Obama’s regulation.
