Some states have shown “real concern” in complying with near-term targets proposed in the Environmental Protection Agency carbon emissions rule for power plants, and Administrator Gina McCarthy said the agency is taking those comments seriously.
At issue is the interim targets the agency set for reducing emissions and whether the actions the states have already taken can count toward that goal. The interim targets begin in 2020 to ensure that states are on a “trajectory” to meet the eventual emissions reduction goal in 2030, McCarthy said.
A handful of states have said they lack sufficient flexibility to meet the near-term goals.
“There were a few states where a combination of the interim targets and the aggressiveness of that and the goal that we wanted to achieve to provide ultimate flexibility to the states — there was a lot of concern that those collided in a few states,” McCarthy said Tuesday at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners conference in Washington.
The power-plant rule aims to slash electricity-sector emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, amounting to the more aggressive action the Obama administration has taken to slow climate change.
McCarthy said few states have disputed that long-term target. Still, she noted that the Environmental Protection Agency is cognizant of the wariness regarding the near-term targets, as it in October floated alternative approaches for calculating and reaching those marks.
“Frankly, one of the good things about the conversation so far is that I have heard very few real comments about the final goal. It really is a question of how quickly to get there and whether or not the flexibility is available to every state equally to get there,” McCarthy said.
But the proposed rule is unpopular in conservative states over concerns that it would raise energy prices. More than half of states have filed public comments challenging the targets and the agency’s authority to call on emissions reductions beyond the actual power plants.
The agency contends it is within bounds, as the Clean Air Act provision under which the it is crafting the rule calls for the “best system of emissions reductions.” The agency developed state emissions targets based on the ability to improve power plant efficiency, add renewable energy, switch from burning coal to natural gas and boost customer energy efficiency.
