President Obama announces Clean Power Plan
1,560-page plan to take ‘real action on climate change’
August 3, 2015
On Monday, August 3, 2015, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their intent to implement new action called the Clean Power Plan, intended to reduce carbon emissions from electric generating power plants. The administration says the 1,560-page plan is "real action on climate change" that is "fair, flexible and designed to strengthen the fast-growing trend toward cleaner and lower-polluting American energy."
The document states "The purpose of this rule is to protect human health and the environment by reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants in the U.S."
The Administration says this final rule is a significant step forward in implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, which is intended "to address the far-reaching harmful consequences and real economic costs of climate change" with actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions "that contribute to climate change and its harmful impacts on public health and the environment. "
In this action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is establishing final emission guidelines for states to follow in developing plans to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs). Specifically, the EPA is establishing:
1) carbon dioxide (CO2) emission performance rates representing the best system of emission reduction (BSER) for two subcategories of existing fossil fuel-fired EGUs – fossil fuel-fired electric utility steam generating units and stationary combustion turbines,
2) state-specific CO2 goals reflecting the CO2 emission performance rates, and
3) guidelines for the development, submittal and implementation of state plans that establish emission standards or other measures to implement the CO2 emission performance rates, which may be accomplished by meeting the state goals. This final rule will continue progress already underway in the U.S. to reduce CO2 emissions from the utility power sector.
The final rule becomes effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Clean Power Plan Final Rule (PDF) (1560 pp, 3.3 MB)
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/cpp/cpp-final-rule.pdf
Regulatory Impact Analysis: Clean Power Plan Final Rule (PDF) (343 pp, 5.4 MB)
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/cpp/cpp-final-rule-ria.pdf
Source for more info: http://www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants
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