New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants have been disclosed by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
A rule, which was made public could force power plants to capture smokestack emissions using a technology that has long been promised but is not in widespread use in the U.S.
EPA Administrator, Michael Regan stated during the announcement on Thursday, May 11, 2023, “This administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and taking the necessary actions required.″ The new rule will “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, protecting health and protecting our planet,″ he iterated.
The plan would not only “improve air quality nationwide, but it will bring substantial health benefits to communities all across the country, especially our frontline communities … that have unjustly borne the burden of pollution for decades,″ Regan noted in the address at the University of Maryland.
The projected regulation, if finalized, would mark the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution, second only to the transportation sector.
Also, the EPA announced that the rule would affect future electric plants and would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2042, equivalent to annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles.
Almost all the coal plants, along with large, frequently used gas-fired power plants, would have to reduce or capture nearly all their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038, the EPA added. Plants that cannot meet the new standards would be forced to close.
The EPA rule would not order the use of equipment to capture and store carbon emissions, an expensive technology and still being developed, but instead would set limits on carbon dioxide pollution that plant operators would have to meet.
The power plant rule is one of at least six EPA rules that limit power plant emissions and wastewater treatment.
Coal provides about 20% of U.S. electricity, down from about 45% in 2010. Natural gas provides about 40% of U.S. electricity. The remainder comes from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.
Plan To Be Contested By Industry Groups
The strategy is probable to be challenged by industry groups and Republican-leaning states, which have accused the Democratic administration of overreach on environmental regulations and warn of a pending reliability crisis for the electric grid.
In an interview before the rule was announced, Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association, opined, “It’s truly an onslaught” of government regulation “designed to shut down the coal fleet prematurely.″
Additionally, Tom Kuhn, President of the Edison Electric Institute, stated that the group will assess whether the EPA’s proposal aligns with its commitment to provide reliable, clean energy. Edison Electric Institute represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies.
The new plan comes 14 years after the EPA pronounced that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threatens public health. President Barack Obama tried to set limits on carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. However, his 2015 Clean Power Plan was restricted by the Supreme Court and later President Donald Trump rolled it back.
Despite the fact that President Joe Biden has made the combat of global warming a top priority, he has faced sharp criticism from environmentalists, especially young climate activists, for a recent decision to approve the Willow oil project in Alaska. The enormous drilling plan by oil giant, ConocoPhillips could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope.
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