With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency poised to release proposed carbon standards for power plants, it is the perfect time to demand definitive action to decarbonize our energy and improve the quality of life for all. The EPA must set ambitious greenhouse gas emissions standards for power plants using its authority under the Clean Air Act and the standards must apply to new and existing fossil gas plants, as well as existing coal-fired plants.
About a quarter of U.S. annual emissions comes from the power sector. By 2030, current law is projected to bring power-sector emissions down to 66% below the 2005 levels. If the EPA sets ambitious carbon standards for gas and coal plants, emissions could be realistically reduced to the 80% reduction target set out by the Biden administration.
