The Obama Administration targets existing power plants for major carbon reductions, plus other news, this week in CIB:
Climate Change Update: EPA Proposes Big Carbon Cuts from Power Plants
The New York Times called them “the strongest action ever taken by an American president to tackle climate change.” Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the long-anticipated first-ever rules restricting carbon emissions from existing power plants.
The EPA’s proposed rules would reduce the overall emissions from existing coal-fired power plants by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Under the rule, each state with one or more coal-fired power plants would have its own state-specific emissions reduction goal, under a standard that takes into account states’ current sources of electricity generation, expected plant retirements, and current energy efficiency measures. States would have broad flexibility in plans to meet the reductions. North Carolina’s reduction target would be 40%.
The White House cited numbers predicting a 25% reduction in smog and soot by 2030 nationally from implementation of the rule, resulting as of that year in up to 6,600 fewer premature deaths, 150,000 fewer asthma attacks, and other health benefits.
The President’s direct pitch for the rules can be found here.
“The Clean Power Plan focuses on the states to lead the transition into a cleaner energy economy,” observed N.C. Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), and “would likely expand North Carolina’s already large renewable energy economy.”
NCLCV joined five other NC citizen conservation groups in praising the proposed rule: “This bold step will help protect North Carolinians’ public health and North Carolina communities from the impacts of climate change and further spark clean energy innovation that will drive the next generation of economic growth.” National League of Conservation Voters (LCV) president Gene Karpinski said, “This is the biggest step we’ve ever taken for the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced. It helps meet our moral obligation to future generations to act on climate change at a time when we’re seeing impacts on our health and our communities nationwide.”
Industry and political opponents of action on climate change launched their attack on the proposed rules even before they were released, and are expected to maintain the attacks throughout the 2014 elections and beyond. LCV’s Karpinski, however, said “The American people support these commonsense safeguards and are sick of the lie that pollution has to be the fuel of our economic engine. The desperate and dirty opponents of these safeguards are using a failed, outdated playbook to protect their profits.”
The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions released an analysis of the rule, including key details of its use of state goals and their emissions-reduction potential through efficiency upgrades to coal plants, increased use of renewable energy, and demand-side energy efficiency.
The EPA will accept public comments on the proposed rule for 120 days after its publication in the National Register. It is scheduled to be finalized in June 2015, with state plans due by June 2016. The rule language and comment opportunity information can be found here.
Legislative Watch: Coal Ash, Wetlands, Fracking and Trees
The legislative environmental circus continued last week in Raleigh, with several rings in action under the General Assembly’s Big Top.
On the coal ash front, community advocates gathered in Raleigh to tell legislators that the governor’s coal ash “action plan” needed some teeth. About 80 representatives from multiple citizen groups took part in the Coal Ash Lobby Day to support strong action to close and clean up the unlined coal ash pits around the state. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources heard from Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary John Skvarla, other administration representatives, and citizen and business group speakers, on SB 729 (Governor’s Coal Ash Action Plan). Conservationists pointed out that the plan lacks timelines for closure and cleanup of all ash pits, as well as specific requirements for the safe handling of future ash waste. No action was taken on the bill.
One of the key bad provisions of the latest “regulatory reform” legislation began getting more attention: the proposal to slash protections for “isolated” wetlands. In North Carolina, these so-called “isolated” wetlands – ones not directly connected to running surface waters – can be the most important habitats for our increasingly threatened amphibian populations. They’re usually small in size, especially in the Piedmont and mountains. Currently, state regulatory review is required for development which would drain or fill more than one-third of an acre of isolated wetland in eastern North Carolina, or more than one-tenth of an acre in the Piedmont or mountains. SB 734, the latest “regulatory reform” bill, would increase that limit to a full acre across the state, guaranteeing that most of these wetlands could be destroyed for development with impunity. Among other media attention, one of our state’s most experienced wetlands professionals, former DENR staff member John Dorney, wrote in the Raleigh News & Observer about the damage this change would produce, and some alternative approaches.
Over at the state’s Mining and Energy Commission (MEC), the panel reacted to new limits on its authority imposed by adoption of the “Energy Modernization Act” (a.k.a., the Fast-track Fracking Act). Among other changes in its ongoing rulemaking, the MEC has to strike out its proposed rules regarding recovering local costs of fracking through impact fees, since the new legislation failed to authorize such fees.
And finally, there’s a bit of good news. Strong adverse public and community reaction from around the state appears to have put the quietus (at least for now) on that ill-conceived proposal to eliminate all local tree conservation rules. Legislative leaders last week told city and town government leaders that this “clear cut NC” proposal would go nowhere this year.
Don’t change that dial – the General Assembly hasn’t gone home yet, and more thrills and chills are yet to come.
Administrative Watch: Parks & Recreation Rules Open for Comment
The legislatively-mandated comprehensive rules review process has now opened on the regulations governing the state Division of Parks & Recreation. Rules under review include those over state parks, lakes, trails, natural areas, and natural and scenic rivers.
The public comment period on these rules opened June 4 and continues through August 10. For more information on the review process and the content of these rules, see here.
Education & Resources: Atmospheric Carbon Reduction Tools
Scientists say that in addition to strong new carbon emission controls, we also need to start taking more carbon out of the atmosphere. Are there realistic tools available to provide meaningful help on this front? The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) kicks off a new series of webinars on this topic. For more information on these “Reversing Emissions: Biocarbon Tools in Action in the Southeast” online discussions, contact John Bonitz atbonitz@cleanenergy.org.
That’s our report for this week.
