New Trump plan would let states set emission standards
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to unveil a proposal that would empower states to establish emission standards for coal-fired power plants rather than speeding their retirement — a major overhaul of the Obama administration’s signature climate policy that could significantly increase the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Trump plans to announce the measure Tuesday during a visit to West Virginia, according to the two administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s own impact analysis projects that the proposal would make only slight cuts to overall emissions of pollutants — including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — over the next decade.
EPA estimates the measure will affect more than 300 plants, providing companies with an incentive to keep coal plants in operation rather than replacing them with cleaner natural gas or renewable energy projects.
By 2030, according to administration officials, the proposal would cut CO2 emissions from 2005 levels by between 0.7 percent and 1.5 percent, compared with a business-as-usual approach. Those reductions are equivalent to taking 2.7 million to 5.3 million cars off the road.
By comparison, the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan would have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 19 percent during that same time frame. That is equivalent to taking 75 million cars out of circulation and reducing more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.