Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
11/21/2014
While the United States cannot solve the problem of climate change alone, efforts being taken to reduce emissions domestically will be integral in securing a position as a world leader on the issue, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said during an event hosted this week by the Center for American Progress. Further, McCarthy said, the United States has made good progress domestically through proposed EPA regulations. “U.S. actions to cut carbon pollution at home, like the Clean Power Plan, will continue to be critical as we leverage these meaningful actions with action abroad. That’s what the president intended when he actually promised to take action on climate, he promised to maintain U.S. leadership on this issue across the world and he and his administration are really delivering on those promises,” McCarthy said, referencing the recently announced climate agreement between the United States and China.
The ‘Clean Power Plan,’ the EPA’s carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, was proposed in June and is currently accepting public comment. The proposed rule, which McCarthy described as “a common sense path forward to cut carbon pollution from our power sector while we keep our energy affordable and reliable,” would set state specific emissions reduction goals and requires each state to develop an action plan to meet those goals.
Proposed Rule Has Received More Than 1.5M Comments
The proposed rule has been controversial and has garnered more than 1.5 million comments thus far. The Dec. 1 comment deadline for the rule is fast approaching and has already been extended once since the proposed rule’s announcement in June. “We elicited an unprecedented amount of input even before we put pen to paper and we’ve now received over 1.5 million comments, that’s nothing compared to comments we expect to get before our comment period ends on Dec. 1 and we are happy about that,” McCarthy said. “The more comments we get, the more I understand that we can factor in all of the stakeholder concerns and we can do what’s right for American families, which is what the president has dictated that EPA do and what EPA is going to be delivering. We want every good idea on the table.”
According to McCarthy, the proposed regulations do not aim to create change in the nation’s energy system, but to harness change that is already underway. “The energy landscape is already changing,” she said. “EPA’s plan looks at how that energy change is happening, where we are today and where that is heading and we see a path forward to a low-carbon future. The plan will support investment in cleaner affordable power across all states. It is not a one size fits all prescription. It’s actually building on progress that’s already underway, all across the nation in our companies, in our city halls, in our state capitals.”
