On Monday, August 3rd President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the landmark Clean Power Plan, a plan to decrease carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and to increase the role of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Prior to this rule, there were no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that power plants could dump into our air, wreaking havoc on our health and our climate. With this plan, the United States has a 32% projected carbon emissions decrease. The Clean Power Plan is a strong first step toward mitigating climate change and switching to a sustainable future.
What is the Clean Power Plan?
In the Clean Power Plan, the EPA sets state-by-state goals for decreasing carbon pollution that drives climate change. These state emission goals are set by a formula that considers many factors including number of fossil-fuel power plants and an estimation of how much these power plants can reasonably cut by operating more efficiently or with more renewables. In the Plan, each state holds the power to determine how best to reach the goals determined by the EPA’s formula.
According to the Obama Administration and the EPA, beyond providing flexibility for states to effectively achieve their carbon emission goals, the Clean Power Plan will encourage clean energy, create jobs, save money for families and businesses, ensure grid reliability, encourage accessible energy to vulnerable or low-income populations, and continue U.S. leadership on climate change mitigation.
What does it mean for Wisconsin?
The goals for emissions reduction by 2030 vary on the type of power plant each state has. Based on our power plants and coal dependency, Wisconsin’s goal for 2030 is a moderate state goal. According to the EPA, Wisconsin already has legislation and energy sources that should help ease the transition with goals that are achievable.
These rules are a historic step to us reducing the carbon emissions--critical to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The success of Wisconsin – and other states – in achieving these goals lies with leaders who are willing to implement the plan. As such, we call on our Governor to cease denying human-accelerated climate change and urge Wisconsin leaders to go far beyond our reliance on coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. We need to seize the opportunity for growth and innovation that the Clean Power Plan provides and reap the clean energy jobs and other benefits from implementation. We applaud President Obama and the EPA for the Clean Power Plan and believe that it is the first step to a strong clean energy future.