Clean Power Plan is achievable and will boost savings, report says
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2016 - M.J.
Bradley & Associates has published
a comprehensive modeling analysis of the Environmental Protection Agency’s
controversial Clean Power Plan.
The study finds that the plan can achieve significant reductions in carbon
pollution from the nation’s power sector while preserving a diverse energy mix.
The analysis also finds that the Clean Power Plan will increase investment in
cost-effective clean energy and energy efficient technology that can result in savings
on electric bills.
States and utilities that increase investment in energy
efficiency programs will see a reduction in the costs of complying with the
Clean Power Plan because plants will purchase less fuel and fewer new plants
need to be built, the analysis shows.
“This comprehensive analysis shows that, by various
pathways, the Clean Power Plan’s carbon pollution reduction goals are very
achievable,” says Christopher Van Atten of M.J. Bradley & Associates. “The
nation’s electricity sector can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions,
and employing a mix of clean energy resources will both help clean up the air
and cut costs of doing so.”
M.J. Bradley & Associates developed the assumptions and
policy scenarios for this analysis with insights and feedback from several
companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations.
Other key findings in the
analysis:
· The U.S. electricity sector can achieve the
Clean Power Plan’s goals to reduce carbon pollution emissions by more than 30
percent from 2005 levels by 2030 using a diverse mix of resources, including
energy efficiency, renewable power, nuclear, natural gas and coal.
· Broadening the geographic scope of trading can
significantly reduce the incremental costs of the program.
· Wind and solar installations are projected to
continue growing under all of the modeling scenarios. In 2030, renewable energy
is projected to supply between 11 percent and 15 percent of U.S. electricity.
· Across a range of scenarios, customers could see
savings on their electricity bills from 5 percent to 20 percent on average.
However, many lawmakers are
unconvinced that the Clean Power Plan is workable and have filed legislation to
change and delay the effort. In November and December 2015, Congress passed two
resolutions designed to demonstrate opposition to the CPP, which President
Obama later vetoed. During that Senate debate, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore
Capito, R-W.Va., called the CPP the “most expensive environmental regulation
that the EPA has ever proposed on our nation’s power sector.” In addition, 27 states have sued the EPA in
an attempt to overturn the carbon dioxide standards.
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