Obama Unveils Revised Clean Power Plan

The so-called Clean Power Plan aims to require the nation’s existing power plants to slash their carbon emissions – 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

As he unveiled the final version of the plan Monday, President Barack Obama warned that if nothing is done about climate change, it will threaten future generations.

State plans will accelerate a move away from coal-fired electricity, the dirtiest kind, and toward cleaner natural gas and renewables, along with more energy efficiency.

Asked how Obama’s Clean Power Plan relates to world climate summit in Paris in December, his press secretary Josh Earnest cited “lot of success” in getting significant commitments from several countries including India, China and Brazil. APS and other utilities will work with the state’s Department of Environmental Quality to determine just how to meet the EPA’s target for the state.

Some state officials who oppose the rule have said they are considering not submitting a plan at all to the EPA.

States can take more credit for carbon-free electricity to be generated by nuclear power plants that were still under construction as they worked to comply with emissions-reduction targets set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Therefore, it will be up to Obama’s successor to implement his plan, and the prospect was dim as nearly all Republican presidential candidates were vocal in their opposition. The state measures, alone or in conjunction with federally enforceable requirements, must result in affected power plants meeting the state’s mass-based goal.

“In the proposal we looked at each state in isolation”, said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the EPA’s office of air and radiation.

Great news for the environment! The cuts, both statewide and nationwide, will also have a negligible effect on overall global emissions, since China and India plan to continue burning coal and other fossil fuels at an accelerated rate.

In announcing the “Clean Power Plan” on Monday, Obama predicted a few of the arguments his critics would make. The state is also already feeling the effects of climate change, including sea level rise, extreme heat and drought, and more frequent flooding, experts say.

For the Democrats, global climate change served as a rallying point to energise liberal supporters and project Republicans as out of touch with the majority of US citizens.