Posted June 3, 2014
The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a draft rule seeking 30 percent
reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, based on 2005 emission levels
from existing power plants, according to an article on Hoosier Ag Today by Gary
Truitt available here. USA Today also
published an article with video available here, Forbes here, and The Energy
Collective here.
The
American Farm Bureau Federation said this proposal would harm the nation’s
economy, rural communities, and America’s farm and ranch families while leading
to higher energy prices.
Roger
Johnson, National Farmers Union President, urges EPA to
recognize rural electric cooperatives serve the nation’s farmers and ranchers by
providing power to 42 million Americans, accounting for 12 percent of the total
U.S. electricity sales. Any regulatory action must consider the impact on rural
electrics and the communities they serve.
“This is not just about disappearing
polar bears or melting ice caps,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “This
is about protecting our health and our homes. This is about protecting local
economies and jobs.” McCarthy said the proposal will spur innovation and create
jobs.
The regulations will be announced
June 3 and target existing power plants, which could put a heavy burden on
utilities getting electricity from coal, and ratepayers who will suffer the
cost of pollution controls and alternative sources of electricity, according to
Forbes.
Section 111(d)
of the Clean Air Act also gives the EPA authority to modify the rules for
existing power plants, such as grandfathering older plants under theory that
they will reach the end of their useful lives to justify the cost of expensive
pollution controls.
For more information on the Clean
Air Act, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
