In a big win for the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency recently released a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Specifically, it calls for existing power plants to cut their emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
Initially, President Obama tried to curb carbon emissions through Congress, to no avail. Last year he invoked his executive authority to address the problem. The EPA’s new Clean Power Plan is the culmination of these efforts – and the most ambitious effort by an American president to tackle global warming.
Although the plan only addresses power plants, it’s still significant. These plants generate 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. Reducing greenhouse gasses is critical to the fight against climate change. And hopefully, strong action by the U.S. will have a ripple effect internationally.
Every power plant in the nation is required to comply with the new standards, but each state is allowed to decide how to get there. Critics worry the plan will lead to plant closures and layoffs. While this is possible, the development of renewable energy sources like wind and solar also create new jobs.
In fact, the NRDC released a report exploring the consequences of reducing power plant emissions by 36 percent – slightly more than what the new plan calls for. Results suggest such a cut could actually create upwards of 270,000 jobs and reduce the average household electric bill by more than 100 dollars annually.
The EPA’s plan is now in a consultation phase and will be finalized in 2015.
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Web Links
The US plan to cut emissions: What you need to know
Photo, posted June 2, 2011, courtesy of DonkeyHotey via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.