Clean Power Plan

Proposed Carbon Pollution Standards 

for Existing Power Plants

Shutsu Wong

Energy and Climate Unit

Air Programs Branch

EPA Region 1

Portland, ME

August 6, 2014
Overview of Presentation 

 President’s Climate Action Plan

 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

 Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 111

 Clean Power Plan Proposal

 How to submit comments

2
President’s Climate Action Plan

 Reduce Carbon Pollution from Power 

Plants

 Prepare US for Impacts of Climate 

Change

 Lead International Efforts to Address 

Global Climate Change

3
Clean Air Act Section 111 and the 

President’s Directive

Develop carbon pollution standards, 

regulations or guidelines, as appropriate, for:

1. New power plants

 Proposed: January 8, 2014

2. Modified and reconstructed power plants

 Proposal: June 2014

 Final: June 2015

3. Existing power plants

 Proposed Guidelines: June 2, 2014

 Final Guidelines: June 1, 2015

 State Plans due: June 2016

4
Best System of Emissions 

Reductions

Building Block Strategy EPA Used to 

Calculate the State Goal

Maximum Flexibility:

Examples of State 

Compliance Measures

1. Make fossil fuel-fired

power plants more 

efficient

Efficiency Improvements Efficiency improvements

Co-firing or switching to natural 

gas

Coal retirements

Retrofit CCS 

2. Use lower-emitting power 

sources more

Dispatch changes to 

existing natural gas 

combined cycle (CC)

Dispatch changes to existing 

natural gas CC

3. Build more zero/lowemitting energy sourcesRenewable Energy

Certain Nuclear

New NGCC

Renewables

Nuclear (new and up-rates)

New coal with CCS

4. Use electricity more 

efficiently

Demand-side energy 

efficiency programs

Demand-side energy efficiency 

programs

Transmission efficiency 

improvements

Energy storage

5
State performance goals (lbs/MWh)

State 2012 Fossil 

Emission Rate1

Interim Goal (2020 -

2029 average)2

Final Goal (2030 

and thereafter)2

Connecticut 844 597 540

Maine 873 393 378

Massachusetts 1,001 655 576

New Hampshire 1,119 546 486

Rhode Island 918 822 782

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1 From Goal Computation Technical Support Document, Appendix 5 – 2012 Emissions Rate and Building Block Application

2 From Table 1 to Subpart UUUU of Part 60 – State Rate-Based CO2 Emission Performance Goals, Proposed
Flexibilities Available To States

 Timing: 

 Up to 15-year window in 

which to plan for and achieve 

reductions in carbon 

pollution. 

 Up to two or three years to 

submit final plans. 

 Form of goal: States can use 

either a rate-based or massbased goal.

 Single or multi-state plans: 

States can collaborate and 

develop plans on a multi-state 

basis.

 Selection of measures: 

 States will choose how to 

meet the goal through 

whatever collection of 

measures reflects its 

particular circumstances 

and policy objectives. 

 State measures may 

impact and, in fact may be 

explicitly designed to 

reduce, CO2 emissions 

from utilities on a regional 

basis.

 EPA would support building 

off existing reduction 

programs. 

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Costs and Benefits of the 

Proposed Plan

 Estimated Costs of the plan are $7.3 billion to $8.8 billion in 2030. 

 Benefits by 2030 

 CO2 emissions from the power sector reduced by approximately 

30% from 2005 levels.

 Pollutants that contribute to the soot and smog reduced by over 

25%

 Avoid an estimated 2,700 to 6,600 premature deaths 

 Avoid 140,000 to 150,000 asthma attacks

 These reductions will lead to public health and climate benefits 

worth an estimated $55 billion to $93 billion in 2030. 

 Health and climate benefits far outweigh the estimated annual costs 

of meeting the standards.

8
Comment Period

 EPA held 4 public hearings last week in Denver, 

Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

 There is a 120-day public comment period on the 

proposal, closing October 16, 2014.

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For more information on how to 

comment:

Clean Power Plan: ww.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan

Click on “Comment” in the Get Involved Box

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