GHG Daily
1/15/2016
Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, the nation can successfully reduce power sector carbon emissions and preserve a diverse energy mix, according to extensive modeling analysis conducted by M.J. Bradley & Associates. Under the 14 scenarios modeled, the nation can cut power-sector 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.”
The report does find issues concerning potential unregulated emissions under mass-based compliance plans written to only include plants existing at the time the rule comes into force. Under such a plan, the regulation would not apply to coal-fired power plants built after the rule comes into force. “The analysis shows that CO2 emissions would increase with an ‘existing only’ mass-based program versus an ‘existing plus new’ source program. The most straightforward approach to address this issue is for states to adopt the ‘existing plus new’ source mass limits,” the Jan. 13 report says.
