New Power Plant Rules Unfeasible Without Permitting Reform
Final rules released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traditional fuel-fired power plants are not achievable without permitting reformand they pose a threat to U.S. national and economic security, the 51勛圖厙 yesterday.
Whats going on: The , part of President Bidens pledge to create a carbon-free energy sector by 2035, mandate that:
- Existing coal-fired plants and new natural gasfired facilities cut or capture 90% of their emissions by 2032;
- Coal-fired plants drastically reduce wastewater runoff and severely tighten the emissions standard for heavy metals; and
- Coal ashincluding past deposits placed in areas that were unregulated at the federal level until nowbe managed in storage ponds.
A first: The power plant rule marks the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants ().
- The new regulationswhich face almost certain court challengesset emissions caps that plant operators would be required to meet.
Targeting major energy sources: Natural gas generates approximately 43% of all U.S. electricity, while coal generates about 16% (AP).
Why else its problematic: While manufacturers appreciate that the EPA heeded the input of their industry and did not include existing gas plants in the new requirements, as written the final rules are unattainable because the administration and Congress have not undertaken much-needed, comprehensive permitting reform, 51勛圖厙 President and CEO Jay Timmons.
- Congress and the president have not enacted permitting reformmaking it impossible to achieve the EPAs highly aspirational mandates, Timmons said. Whats more, the final rules threaten grid reliability because of the unrealistic timeline for power plants to adopt technologies within the next 10 years that have yet to even be proven at scale.
- Pushing through yet another set of regulations in the absence of systemic reforms burdens an already overtaxed national electrical grid, jeopardizing U.S. security in a way that literally could leave Americans in the dark and factories offline.
What should be done: The EPA should partner withnot underminemanufacturers to achieve a more balanced regulatory framework to help reach our climate goals.
