The new targets in the Clean Power Plan demand carbon
emissions from the power sector be slashed 32 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030
– that is 2% more than in the original proposal that was released for
consultation a year ago. Washington has promised to slash greenhouse gas
emissions economy wide by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, and will
do so partly by focusing on the 40 per cent of US carbon-dioxide emissions that
come from power stations.
President Obama described his unprecedented carbon
dioxide limits as the biggest step ever taken by the U.S. on climate change. The
Obama administration said it would cost $8.4 billion annually by 2030. Sixteen
states — including energy-producing states like Kentucky, Wyoming and North
Dakota — will face stricter emissions limits than they did under Obama’s
previous proposal. Montana’s requirement more than doubled, from a 21 percent
cut in the earlier plan to a 47 percent cut in the final version. Readmore at http://www.washingtonpost.com/
