With the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plant Rule hearings now in the final stage, there are many questions surrounding them. There’s also plenty of controversy. Spanning a range of industries and locations, many people wonder how it will affect them; some are in favor, while others h2ly oppose.
In the interest of clarifying some confusion, we’d like to offer some information and help answer some questions regarding what you need to know.
How will coal-dependent states be affected?
Should the rule pass, many fear that the price of electricity will rise, especially for coal-dependent states. However, in actuality, some of the least coal-dependent states, including Maine, California, and Idaho, have the lowest electricity bills. At the same time, states such as West Virginia, the most coal-dependent, have much higher electricity bills. States like Iowa, with its nation-leading percentage of renewable electrons, have the lowest prices of electricity in the country.
How will electricity consumers be affected, overall?
The proposal aims to make states reach emission reductions through the most economical ways possible, while eliminating wasteful spending. By investing in renewables, focusing on efficiency, and balancing being clean with affordable, the goal is to make the cost to electricity consumers negligible, and in the future, lower than it is now.
Is this a purely partisan/Obama plan?
The short answer is no. Actually, George Bush proposed a “four pollutant” clean-up plan in 2000, but it was squashed due to opposition. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ordered Obama to regulate carbon emissions following the Clean Air Act. The proposal, therefore, is not original to Obama, nor is it purely partisan. Both sides have tried to make it happen, and now the president must act on it. Supporting it is not supporting a party or a politician, and if all goes as planned, the hope is that it’s good for everyone.