Hundreds of businesses promote climate rule to governors

The most important environmental action underway is the development of the federally mandated Clean Power Plan, the guidelines for which will be released by the EPA early in August.

Last year, the New York Times reported on a “secretive alliance” between Pruitt and large energy companies, showing that Pruitt routinely signed his name to letters from energy lobbyists and passed them on to policymakers with minimal revision.

“Our support is firmly grounded in economic reality”, wrote the businesses, including 15 with Kentucky facilities, such as Staples, Gap Inc., L’Oreal USA and Levi Strauss & Co. “Clean energy solutions are cost effective and innovative ways to drive investment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.

“There is some notion out there that environmental regulation is bad for the economy”, said Lubber. The New Source rule, they argue, constitutes a “de facto ban” on building new coal plants by applying a technology standard that no one can meet. Experience has shown that the economy grows as environmental quality improves, she said.

A windmill farm is seen in front of smoke from the Lake Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest, … EPA could provide specific details on how compliance would work in these cases, or develop basic standards states could use.

Join climate change activists for a public rally today at noon at Sandy Beach in Rockland. Billions of dollars have been lost in the real estate and insurance sectors alone, she said.

Employees of a solar farm company take notes between panels at the farm in Nakorn Ratchasima provinc …

Ceres is a nonprofit organization mobilizing business and investor leadership on climate change, water scarcity and other sustainability challenges. “We limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury, sulfur and arsenic that power plants put in our air and water, but they can dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air”. Given that there are viable alternatives, doesn’t it make sense to transition to cleaner energy sources as soon as possible? Because states and power companies will have a long lead time to implement the carbon pollution reductions, they will not be able to meet this test. Rather than ask states to have their final plans ready by 2016, with an option for a one-year extension, the administration would extend its deadline to 2018.

By raising the EPA’s renewables target, we can achieve a 40 percent reduction in power plant emissions below 2005 levels by 2030.

“As energy is used more efficiently, non-competitive power plants can be retired, construction of new coal plants can be deferred, and transmission and distribution infrastructure investments can be delayed, all of which would lower rates and therefore lower the energy bills of all consumers”, Brown said.

“Clear and consistent policies can send market signals that help businesses and investors plan for the future”, the letter said.

“We are confident that EPA will finalise a plan that is strong and legally sound, but that won’t stop the coal industry from attacking it at every turn”, said Joanne Spalding, senior managing attorney at the Sierra Club.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has called for open defiance of the plan, which he called Obama’s “attack on the middle class”.

The version of the plan introduced in June2014 drew skepticism from many states and furious opposition from congressional Republicans, particularly lawmakers from coal-producing states. Barlow said state air regulators already trade sulfur permits this way.

Due to the reluctance of some of the states, the starting date of the plan is likely to be delayed by somewhere in the region of two years and that addition support for renewable energy will also be released.