Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumEPA Publishes First Rule Limiting Carbon Pollution From New Power Plants
EPA Publishes First Rule Limiting Carbon Pollution From New Power Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, at long last, published its rule to limit carbon emissions from new power plants. The proposed rule appeared Wednesday in the Federal Register, four months after EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced it back in September.
The regulation mandates that all future coal plants can emit just 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. An average U.S. coal plant currently dumps over 1,700 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for every megawatt-hour of energy it produces. The rule also covers new natural-gas fired plants. Natural gas plants, 100 megawatts or larger, will be limited to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour, while smaller plants could emit no more than 1,100 pounds.
Modern combined-cycle natural gas plants are essentially already able to meet this standard. The rule, will however, make it very difficult for new coal-fired power plants to be built in the United States. Utilities will only be able to build new coal plants if they are able to capture 20 to 40 percent of the carbon they emit and store it underground. This technology is known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). Many coal advocates in Congress and fossil-fuel industry leaders have argued that the standard is designed to nix new coal plant construction, claiming that the CCS technology needed to meet the standard simply isnt ready for commercial deployment.
In a statement, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo) said that the EPAs rule would be damaging to the economy....
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, at long last, published its rule to limit carbon emissions from new power plants. The proposed rule appeared Wednesday in the Federal Register, four months after EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy announced it back in September.
The regulation mandates that all future coal plants can emit just 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. An average U.S. coal plant currently dumps over 1,700 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for every megawatt-hour of energy it produces. The rule also covers new natural-gas fired plants. Natural gas plants, 100 megawatts or larger, will be limited to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour, while smaller plants could emit no more than 1,100 pounds.
Modern combined-cycle natural gas plants are essentially already able to meet this standard. The rule, will however, make it very difficult for new coal-fired power plants to be built in the United States. Utilities will only be able to build new coal plants if they are able to capture 20 to 40 percent of the carbon they emit and store it underground. This technology is known as carbon capture and storage (CCS). Many coal advocates in Congress and fossil-fuel industry leaders have argued that the standard is designed to nix new coal plant construction, claiming that the CCS technology needed to meet the standard simply isnt ready for commercial deployment.
In a statement, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo) said that the EPAs rule would be damaging to the economy....
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/09/3139921/epa-carbon-rule-power-plants/
EPA pages:
http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/what-epa-doing
http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/2013-proposed-carbon-pollution-standard-new-power-plants
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 835 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (6)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
EPA Publishes First Rule Limiting Carbon Pollution From New Power Plants (Original Post)
kristopher
Jan 2014
OP
kristopher
(29,798 posts)1. Seriously?
No one cares about this news?
Nihil
(13,508 posts)2. Let's hope they'll enforce *this* rule better than water pollution rules (for example).
Mind you, it's reassuring to find even the industry that wants to destroy the planet
are honest about CCS:
> Many coal advocates in Congress and fossil-fuel industry leaders ...
> ... claiming that the CCS technology needed to meet the standard simply
> isnt ready for commercial deployment.
So ... how long before both the carbon emissions limit is watered down?
(with or without 4-methylcyclohexane-methanol)
kristopher
(29,798 posts)3. kick
cprise
(8,445 posts)4. Responding to 'clean coal' pitch with 'put up or shut up'
IOW
Its funny how the coal backers don't believe in clean coal anymore. It was mostly BS.