Wyoming Gets Stricter Target In Final Carbon Regulations

Sixteen states will have tougher carbon dioxide reduction targets than they originally planned now that President Barack Obama has presented his final plan to cut emissions from U.S. power plants.

New federal rules designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have coal advocates speaking out. The plan will become a talking point in the upcoming GOP debates.

Gov. John Kasich was even more critical.

“We can’t condemn our kids and grandkids to a planet that’s beyond fixing”.

The most vulnerable among us – children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease and those living in poverty – may be most at risk from the impacts of climate change. Let’s show the rest of the country that here in New Mexico, we are committed to supporting practical and common sense plans that will boost our economy and will give our country the opportunity to curb the carbon pollution that fuels climate changes.

State implementation can start right away.

There are two main reasons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Janet McCabe: Renewable sources such as wind and solar are getting cheaper and easier to build, and the EPA considered that states in some cases could easily source clean power from neighbors if they didn’t have the capacity to generate it themselves. The administration wants these plans soon so they can implement the rule by next year. States would have to meet certain standards based on their energy consumption. And under the Clean Power Plan, this trend will accelerate with the potential to create a quarter-million jobs by 2040. Congress left the president with no better option.

The White House insists the new restrictions are legal under the Clean Air Act, meaning Obama doesn’t need additional approval from Congress. Energy industry groups, meanwhile, are pledging to fight it out in court. Climate change experts are also hopeful that other big pollutants will be inspired by this and come on board and sign on to achieve big targets in Paris this December. Meanwhile, Canada emissions are projected to increase from 2005 levels by 8 percent by 2030 unless new measures are taken.

The Clean Power Plan aims to reduce emissions from coal-fired power stations by a third by 2030.

The administration noted the Clean Power Plan significantly reduces carbon pollution from the electric power sector while advancing clean energy innovation, development, and deployment.

“I welcome this bold and absolutely necessary carbon reduction plan”. This is by far the most ambitious step taken by America to tackle climate change.

Americans are strongly in favor of federal regulation of carbon from power plants.