The President's Climate Plan for Power Plants Won't Significantly Lower Emissions

Abstract

President Obama released his Climate Action Plan to much fanfare on June 25, 2013 in an attempt to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions “in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.” The centerpiece of the plan is to have the Environmental Protection Agency issue carbon dioxide standards for new and existing power plants, which account for roughly one-third of this country’s emissions.

Obama’s announcement sent the news media and politicians into a frenzy, with vast proclamations on both sides about these regulations shutting down a large number of power plants, increasing electric costs, and killing the coal industry. But as this article will illustrate, these proclamations are exaggerated.

Keywords: Climate Change, Clean Air Act, Obama, Climate Plan, Greenhouse Gases, Power Plants, CO2