![]() There are only a few existing handfuls of examples of carbon capture and sequestration’s use in the US and around the world (and just as memorable examples of these plants shutting down because of shaky economic conditions). The rules shine a spotlight on two lesser-known technologies.Ĭompanies like NextEra Energy have already eyed clean hydrogen for its potential, and they may be right: the technology is named as an option for utilities to also use at gas and coal plants.Ĭarbon capture and storage, more controversially, also get a boost. Winners: Carbon capture and storage and hydrogen “By proposing new standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, EPA is delivering on its mission to reduce harmful pollution that threatens people’s health and wellbeing,” said EPA Administrator Regan. Once the rule is finalized and in effect (a process that is still at least a year away), the agency can finally say it is regulating carbon pollution from the power sector. But it also makes for a sturdier rule that can stand up to the lawsuits and court scrutiny to follow. The suite of rules affects existing coal and gas plants differently depending on its size, how often it’s in use, and whether it has a date to retire.Īll these carveouts and exceptions make for a difficult way to sum up the rule in a soundbite - this is no Clean Power Plan 2.0. That leaves a limited set of options: A plant could lower its emissions by installing lower-emissions technology, like hydrogen, or carbon capture technology that works like a scrubber would to remove carbon before it enters the atmosphere. To comply with the Supreme Court ruling, the EPA looks only at technology that can be upgraded inside the power plant (rather than shifting the power mix statewide to renewables). It’s now the EPA’s third time attempting to regulate the power sector. Trump’s weak replacement, which would have effectively increased emissions, also didn’t pass muster from federal courts. ![]() The Supreme Court has knocked down the EPA’s attempted power sector rules twice, first by halting the Clean Power Plan from going into effect and again by finding it violated the Clean Air Act. It leaves a mixed bag of winners and losers. The EPA makes a dent in coal pollution especially, but it doesn’t eliminate power plant pollution entirely. Existing gas plants get more leeway - only the largest gas plants, less than a third in operation, will have to slash their pollution by 90 percent by 2035. ![]() Or a plant could bypass all this if it sets a retirement date in the medium term.Īs a result, existing coal plants would cut their carbon pollution 90 percent by the end of the decade, unless a plant sets a retirement date before 2040. Coal and gas plants can also install carbon capture and storage or sequestration, a technology that removes carbon dioxide at the smokestack to eventually store it underground. Coal plants, for instance, could fire less carbon-intensive fuels such as hydrogen and gas, to supplement coal. Utilities, working with states, would ultimately decide how to meet the EPA’s emissions rates by choosing among available technologies. The EPA breaks down requirements based on the type of plant, its size, and how often it is in use. The proposed rules are a less elegant and splashy solution than the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, but the complex set of proposals also stands a better chance of withstanding court scrutiny. Instead of a big presidential announcement, EPA administrator Michael Regan spoke from the University of Maryland about the agency’s third attempt at regulating power plant pollution from existing plants, explaining “these aren’t restrictions, as some would say,” but about “seizing the moment and understanding that we have an obligation” to leave a healthier planet behind. The Biden administration’s rollout of the new rules on Thursday was a more understated affair. In 2013, President Barack Obama announced on a blisteringly hot June day at Georgetown University that his administration would be taking historic action to address power plant pollution - an attempt ultimately blocked in court.
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