Ceres welcomes the proposal of two standards today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that, paired with federal incentives and investments, have the potential to significantly reduce the power sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These proposed standards deliver on the Biden administration’s pledge to decarbonize the power sector by 2035.
The EPA’s Clean Air Act Section 111(b) standard would address new, modified, and reconstructed gas- and coal-fueled power plants, making it possible to lower their emissions by as much as 90%. The 111(d) standard would address existing power plants, which account for up to 25% of the nation’s GHG emissions.
“Reducing pollution from power plants is crucial to advancing climate and environmental justice and moving our country to a clean energy future. These standards will play a critical role in accomplishing those goals,” said Dan Bakal, senior program director of climate and energy, Ceres. “Renewables and efficiency are the cornerstones of transitioning to a cleaner energy economy, and these standards will also provide clarity for the industry as they consider investment in coal and gas power plants. We thank the Biden administration for releasing these standards and look forward to continuing work with investors and power companies to transform the industry to be more sustainable.”
“As the power sector faces the urgent need to reduce emissions, federal investments — especially those included in the Inflation Reduction Act — have made it more feasible and pragmatic to do so,” said Zach Friedman, director of federal policy, Ceres. “We applaud the EPA for exercising its strong authority under the Clean Air Act and releasing ambitious standards that will encourage U.S. power plant operators to take full advantage of those incentives by developing, adopting, and deploying innovative, American-made technologies to build a strong and resilient clean energy economy.”
Ceres is working to decarbonize the power sector, including by working with power sector companies to leverage the investments of the Inflation Reduction Act, and through its Ceres Ambition 2030 initiative, an effort to decarbonize six of the highest emitting sectors in the U.S. economy.
