Obama announces carbon pollution standards for power plants

United States’ President Barack Obama has announced the Clean Power Plan, carbon pollution standards for power plants that the White House calls a “historic step” in the fight against climate change.

A press release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary on Monday said that the Clean Power Plan establishes the first-ever national standards to limit carbon pollution from power plants. “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,” the release said.

The final version of the plan sets “flexible and achievable” standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030, 9% more ambitious than the proposal, the release pointed out. According to the White House, among other items, the plan will:

• Reduce premature deaths from power plant emissions by nearly 90% in 2030 compared to 2005, avoid up to 3,600 premature deaths, lead to 90,000 fewer asthma attacks in children, and prevent 300,000 missed work and school days;

• Create tens of thousands of jobs while ensuring grid reliability;

• Reduce enough energy to power 30 million homes;

• Give a headstart to wind and solar deployment and prioritize the deployment of energy efficiency improvements in low-income communities that need it most early in the program through a Clean Energy Incentive Program; and

• Keep the U.S. on track to meet the economy-wide emissions targets set, including the goal of reducing emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and to 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.

“Extreme weather events – from more severe droughts and wildfires in the West to record heat waves – and sea level rise are hitting communities across the country,” the release said. “In fact, 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred in the first 15 years of this century and last year was the warmest year ever. The most vulnerable among us – including children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease, and people living in poverty – are most at risk from the impacts of climate change. Taking action now is critical.”

State plans are due in September, but states that need more time can make an initial submission and request extensions of up to two years for final plan submission, the release noted, with emission reductions phased in on a gradual “glide path” to 2030.