A for Effort, F for Execution: New EPA Power Plant Rules Subsidize Polluters

Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially proposed its power plant emissions rules. While the much-anticipated limits are ostensibly meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, the details of the plan show that it relies primarily on using carbon capture technologies at fossil fuel plants rather than actually halting fossil fuel activity.

Jeff Ordower, 350.org’s North America Director, responded:

“We sorely needed—and still need—new stringent rules curbing power plant emissions, and that should remain a top priority of the EPA. However, the rules that they have proposed rely on carbon capture and storage (CCS) rather than on halting climate chaos at the source. The reality is that CCS allows the fossil fuel industry to continue by attempting to reduce the climate impact of burning fossil fuels rather than halting them altogether. While the concept is alluring, the technology is so far unproven, is not yet scalable or economically feasible, and there isn’t yet a comprehensive system for tracking emissions.

Some proponents argue that CCS is becoming more economically viable. But why gamble both people and planet, with time we no longer have—wagering the lives and livelihoods of frontline communities first and foremost—on the dangerous distractions of unproven and expensive new technology when the real solution is right in front of us: end the era of fossil fuels once and for all and transition to justly sourced, justly implemented renewable energy.”