No New Dirty Power Plants under EPA standard

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Megan Severson

Wisconsin Environment

Madison, WI – On the heels of recent flooding throughout Wisconsin, the third largest wildfire in California history and devastating, record-breaking floods in Colorado, the Obama administration proposed a major new rule today to curb the carbon pollution spewing from power plants that fuels global warming. Scientists warn that without major reductions in carbon pollution, extreme weather will become even more frequent and severe.

Power plants are America’s largest single source of carbon pollution, and today’s rule would place the first ever national limits on carbon pollution from power plants.

“If we want a safer climate and future for our kids, we can’t keep letting dirty power plants pollute,” Megan Severson, State Advocate with Wisconsin Environment. “President Obama has put his foot down in the fight against global warming and effectively said: ‘No new dirty power plants.’

The proposed rule represents the first major benchmark in the implementation of President Obama’s climate plan unveiled in June. The President’s action enjoys broad support – Americans submitted more than 3.2 million comments in support of carbon limits on power plants in the last 18 months. Hundreds of elected officials, business leaders, and public health organizations have joined the call for limiting carbon pollution from the power sector.

A recent report from Wisconsin Environment Research & Policy Center found that a large portion of America’s carbon pollution comes from a small number of the dirtiest plants. For example, if the nation’s 50 most carbon-polluting power plants were a sovereign nation, they would emit more carbon than all but 6 other nations on Earth. Wisconsin’s biggest carbon polluter – Wisconsin Power & Light’s Columbia Energy Center – emits as much global warming pollution as 1.5 million passenger vehicles.

“This is a kiss goodbye to any more power plants like Columbia Energy Center – the dirtiest of the state’s dirty power plants – that wreak havoc on our weather patterns and threaten our children’s future,” said Severson. “This new rule will mean more renewable energy, more energy efficiency, and less global warming pollution.”

The Obama administration is expected to propose a rule to limit carbon from existing power plants by June 2014, and to finalize that rule the following year.

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Wisconsin Environment is a citizen-based, environmental advocacy organization working toward a cleaner, greener, healthier future.

www.WisconsinEnvironment.org