Carolyn Morrisroe, carolyn.morrisroe@sierraclub.org
CHARLOTTE, NC — Today, the Biden administration finalized federal carbon pollution standards for existing coal-fired plants and new gas-fired power plants. These critically needed standards will slash carbon pollution and improve air quality for families and communities across North Carolina.
The EPA estimates the carbon pollution standards will avoid over 1.4 billion metric tons of CO2 pollution through 2047. This action will also improve air quality by cutting harmful pollutants, including smog- and soot-forming compounds that cause serious lung and heart ailments, as well as hazardous air pollutants like mercury. The EPA projects that the standards will deliver up to $370 billion in climate and public health benefits over the next two-and-a-half decades.
One Duke project that could be impacted by the new rule is the proposed Roxboro Combined Cycle plant. In order to meet the new standard, Roxboro CC would have to plan for major infrastructure upgrades within three years of coming online in 2029. If Duke were to drop the plan for the Roxboro CC plant, an estimated 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent that the plant would emit each year would be avoided. The new rule could have similar impacts on several other Duke proposals for combined cycle plants.
The EPA’s new rule on carbon pollution also highlights the futility of Duke’s plan to double down on expanding the use of dirty, dangerous unreliable fossil fuels like methane gas. Duke Carolinas and Progress have been planning a massive gas buildout for years; in Duke’s January 2024 Integrated Resource Plan update, it increased that even further. At the same time, Duke is not proposing to retire all of its remaining coal until 2036.
In response, Erin Carey, Acting Director of the Sierra Club's N.C. Chapter, said:
“The carbon pollution rule finalized today by the EPA shows that Duke Energy should move more quickly to deploy clean energy such as wind, solar, and storage. Duke is failing the people of North Carolina with its expensive, outdated energy plan that refuses to give up polluting fossil fuel-fired power plants. Rather than expanding its plans to profit off dirty, polluting methane gas, Duke must prioritize a renewable energy buildout to benefit customers and protect our environment.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.