How Are States Planning to Comply With the Clean Power Plan?

Please RSVP to expedite check-in A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting) The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing how states are planning to comply with the Clean Power Plan, which limits carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Power Plan represents the first time the United States has placed limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, currently the nation’s largest source of carbon pollution. The final Plan, released by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 3, is more ambitious than the draft version, calling for a 32 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels (instead of the 30 in the proposal). The EPA predicts that such a reduction will help the nation avoid 3,600 premature deaths and reduce yearly electricity bills by an average of $84 per ratepayer in 2030. The final Clean Power Plan also gives states an additional two years (until 2022 instead of 2020) to begin cutting CO2 emissions, and has taken into account states' feedback to recalculate their specific carbon reduction targets. Now that the final version has been released, what are the best compliance strategies for states to meet the emission reduction goals, and what kind of assistance will EPA be able to provide?