Obama plan on emissions facing cloud of opposition

The plan also seeks to boost renewable energy.

Obama said unless aggressive action is not taken now, the world may not be able to reverse global warming.

The good news is we’re in great shape to meet and perhaps even exceed its Clean Power Plan emission targets. A more flexible timeline under the plan “will only further encourage states to act early so they can take advantage of the booming solar economy and any compliance incentives that the EPA might offer”.

Some industry groups and elected officials from states that depend on coal-based energy have announced their intention to challenge the plan in court and in Congress. They accuse the Obama administration of being responsible for a future increase in energy prices.

The plan aims to cut 2005 carbon levels by 32% over the next 15 years. The Obama administration first proposed the rule a year ago. Some Utah officials, including Gov. Gary Herbert, have called for the plan to be rejected. To the GOP, Obama’s executive actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions are burdensome to business and block job creation, an argument aimed at tapping into Americans’ worries about the economy. “We already set limits that protect public health by reducing soot and other toxic emissions, but until now, existing power plants, the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States, could release as much carbon pollution as they wanted”. By the year 2030, each state has to meet emission reduction levels according to their own combination of energy. The final deadline is being pushed back to 2018.

And while states previously had until 2020 to achieve their targets, they’ll now have an extra two years – until 2022. In the case of the Clean Power Plan, as the rules announced today are known, the fear revolves around the image of coal plants around the country going dark.

The bold announcement is the first step in a month long environmental push from Mr Obama.

Cullick said that may work against the utility provider which already uses almost 30 percent renewable energy.

Obama rejected the idea that his plan would result in higher energy bills for American households, penalize the poorest and destroy jobs. The National Mining Association on Monday asked the Environmental Protection Agency to put the rule on hold while legal challenges play out.

“In many ways, the Clean Power Plan is about leveling the playing field”, said Dr. Marguerite Pennoyer, a physician in Scarborough who specializes in asthma and allergies.

Also, the states’ ongoing efforts to reduce energy demand won’t be included in their baseline measurements the way that other factors, like replacing coal plants with cleaner sources, will be.