CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois should be able to meet tougher federal limits on pollutants blamed for global warming with a mixture of power sources and energy-efficiency initiatives, state officials and environmental groups said, while opponents in the state’s coal-producing regions said the proposal unveiled Monday by the Obama administration could close power plants, raise electricity rates and cost jobs.
The sweeping initiative would curb carbon dioxide emitted by the nation’s power plants by 30 percent by 2030, though each state has a customized goal and the flexibility to decide how to reach that target. Illinois was given a goal of cutting emissions by 33 percent, to 1,271 pounds per megawatt hour, from 2012 levels.
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