Photo: Kusa Dogwood, Lois Barber
June 2023 - The Environmental Protection Agency has opened a public comment period on its draft proposal to reduce emissions of CO2 and other pollutants from US power plants. The proposal concerns existing coal-fired power plants and new plants powered by natural gas. Over the years, the EPA has issued regulations for fossil-fueled power plants, both existing and new, for both CO2, and effluents toxic to human health. Some of these regulations were canceled by the Trump administration but are now in the process of being reestablished, updated, and improved.
The current proposal combines both regulations and more flexible guidelines for states, cities, and local communities to decide on their best way of meeting the regulations. This flexibility allows for local input from minority and poorer communities, which is where power plants tend to be situated. This means the regulations on how to achieve the standards would be set locally and may include Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) directly from smokestacks, not after the CO2 is in the atmosphere. If a power plant is close to shut down, it may avoid action altogether.
The EPA has estimated the benefits of rebuilding CO2 regulations to include:
- $85 billion in climate and health benefits over the next two decades
- 1,300 avoided deaths per year
- 66,000 avoided lost workdays per year.
ACTION:
By July 24th, contact the EPA in support of this proposal by submitting your comment at:
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0072-0001
Please send this email on to family and friends and/or write a letter-to-the-editor on this important issue. It is a good way to educate others and build support for needed policies.