President Obama will unveil a plan today considered to be “the strongest action ever taken” in the U.S. to combat climate change.
The proposed regulations are focused on the country’s power plants, specifically coal-fired power plants, and builds on previous draft propo...
http://www.westarticle.co.vu/2015/08/president-obama-will-unveil-plan-today.html
The proposed regulations are focused on the country’s power plants, specifically coal-fired power plants, and builds on previous draft proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency. Coal-fired power plants are the country’s “single largest source of carbon pollution” and coal-burning produces “about 40% of the electricity used by Americans.”
The plan is “even stronger than earlier drafts and can be seen as an effort by Obama to stake out an uncompromising position on the issue during his final months in office,” the New York Times writes. There are two big numbers: The first requires existing U.S. power plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions 32% from 2005 levels by 2030, up from 30% in the draft proposal. The second demands that 28% of a power plant’s generating capacity come from renewable sources such as wind and solar, up from 22% in the draft. While each state has targets to reduce its carbon pollution, states can create and submit their own custom plans. Dozens of states, especially those that depend on coal mining like Wyoming and West Virginia, as well as major corporations, and industry groups are expected to file lawsuits to challenge the regulations. And a little extra. “The U.S. hopes that leading by example will put it in a stronger position to negotiate international reductions at the Paris climate conference in December and build on bilateral talks with China and Brazil,” The Guardian writes.
The plan is “even stronger than earlier drafts and can be seen as an effort by Obama to stake out an uncompromising position on the issue during his final months in office,” the New York Times writes. There are two big numbers: The first requires existing U.S. power plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions 32% from 2005 levels by 2030, up from 30% in the draft proposal. The second demands that 28% of a power plant’s generating capacity come from renewable sources such as wind and solar, up from 22% in the draft. While each state has targets to reduce its carbon pollution, states can create and submit their own custom plans. Dozens of states, especially those that depend on coal mining like Wyoming and West Virginia, as well as major corporations, and industry groups are expected to file lawsuits to challenge the regulations. And a little extra. “The U.S. hopes that leading by example will put it in a stronger position to negotiate international reductions at the Paris climate conference in December and build on bilateral talks with China and Brazil,” The Guardian writes.
