December 22, 2014
By Andy Knott, Beyond Coal Campaign Representative
In June, as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever carbon pollution standards for existing power plants, known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), signaling an end to the era of power plants dumping unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into our atmosphere.
The standards create a strong framework for states as they move towards renewable energy and energy efficiency. States have been put in the driver’s seat and allowed great flexibility to create plans to limit carbon pollution, and local leadership is now more important than ever.
The CPP would reduce carbon pollution from power plants by 30% nationwide by 2030 and the target for reductions in Missouri would be 21%. EPA took public comment on the proposal
through December 1 and will issue a final rule in June 2015. Missouri DNR will then have until June 2016, with possible extensions, to develop its own state plan.
Missouri is already well on its towards meeting its carbon reduction goal. In addition to phasing out the oldest and dirtiest power plants, Missouri is already taking climate action with a growing clean energy sector. EPA projects an increase in Missouri’s use of clean energy to reduce reliance on highcarbon energy sources. Missouri is actually poised to exceed EPA’s projection with smart investments in energy efficiency, wind, and solar.
Clean energy creates jobs right here in Missouri as well as saves ratepayer dollars. According to the Solar Foundation’s 2013 Solar Job Census, Missouri is ranked 12th in the nation with 2,800 Missourians currently working in the solar field. In January 2014, Kansas City Power & Light announced its new investment in 400 MW of wind power would save its customers hundreds of millions of dollars.