WASHINGTON ( Associated Press) – The US government on Thursday proposed new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, the first step yet to reduce global-warming pollution, the country’s second-biggest contributor to climate change. It is the most ambitious initiative of
A new rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could force power plants in the United States to capture stack emissions using a long-promised but not widely used technology.
“This administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and taking the necessary action,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during Thursday’s announcement.
The new rule “will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, protecting health and our planet,” Regan said. The plan will not only “improve air quality nationwide, but it will also bring substantial health benefits to communities across the country, especially our frontline communities … who have unfairly borne the burden of pollution for decades.” , “Regan added in a speech. University of Maryland.
If finalized, the proposed regulation would mark the first time that the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25% of America’s greenhouse gas pollution, second only to transportation. . The EPA explained that the rule would also apply to future power plants and would prevent 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2042, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles.
The EPA said that nearly all coal-fired power plants, as well as the large gas-fired power plants often in use, must reduce or capture almost all of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038. Those plants which do not meet the new standards will have to be forced to shut down.
