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From The Guardian - Climate Change
Summary
- The Biden administration is implementing strict rules on coal-fired power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
- These rules are part of a larger effort to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.
- Despite industry and Republican pushback, the EPA believes these rules will protect communities, improve public health, and support the transition to a clean energy economy.
- The new standards will yield significant climate and health benefits, while requiring existing coal plants to cut or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032.
Key passage:
The power plant rule marks the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. The rule also would force future electric plants fueled by coal or gas to control up to 90% of their carbon pollution. The new standards will stave off 1.38bn metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047, equivalent to the annual emissions of 328m gas cars, the EPA said, and will provide hundreds of billions of dollars in climate and health benefits, measured in fewer premature deaths, asthma cases, and lost work or school days.
Coal plants that plan to stay open beyond 2039 would have to cut or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032, the EPA said. Plants that expect to retire by 2039 would face a less stringent standard but still would have to capture some emissions. Coal plants that are set to retire by 2032 would not be subject to the new rules.
Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, said that through the latest rules, “the EPA is systematically dismantling the reliability of the US electric grid”.
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Read the full post at The Guardian - Climate Change.
