[Ngo Climate Change] US plan for new carbon pollution standards

[Nguyen, Tu Thanh (Hanoi)]

Colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you that on June 2, as part of the President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new carbon pollution standards for power plants. This is a huge step, and will cut CO2 emissions from power plants - our single largest source of emissions - by 30 percent by 2030 below 2005 levels.  This proposed rule will be a major contribution to the achievement of our international pledge to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.  It will also contribute to continued emission reductions in the context of the new climate agreement that will be concluded in Paris in 2015.

Please find a number of links to documents for your information:

Fact Sheets and Press Releases

*       EPA Fact Sheets and Rule<http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/clean-power-plan-proposed-rule>

*       What the EPA is Doing<http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/what-epa-doing>

*       EPA Press Release<http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac8525735900400c27/5bb6d20668b9a18485257ceb00490c98!OpenDocument>

President Obama Weekly Address

*       Video <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/31/weekly-address-reducing-carbon-pollution-our-power-plants>

White House Blog Entries

*       By the Numbers: The EPA's Proposed New Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/02/numbers-epas-proposed-new-carbon-pollution-standards-power-plants>

*       Myths and Facts on Cutting Carbon Pollution<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/02/myths-and-facts-cutting-carbon-pollution>

Addition information on this proposed rule is below:


*       On June 2nd, the White House and EPA issued a proposed rule that will require CO2 intensity targets for the power sector for every state in the United States.



*       This is a huge step, and will cut CO2 emissions from power plants - our single largest source of emissions - by 30 percent by 2030 below 2005 levels.  It is estimated to result in the reduction of more than 700 millions of tons of CO2 per year by 2030 relative to 2005 levels.  It is a landmark proposal that will set the U.S. power sector on a transformative path forward.



*       This action will contribute to the health and well-being of people in the United States and throughout the world.  Carbon pollution fuels climate change, which triggers more asthma attacks and respiratory disease, worsens air quality, and contributes to more frequent and destructive extreme weather events.



*       The proposal will also reduce substantially pollutants such as particulate matter that contributes to the soot and smog that make people sick.



*       These new commonsense steps will address our single largest source of carbon pollution, existing power plants, which account for roughly one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions (or 40 percent of domestic CO2 emissions). While the United States has limits in place for the level of arsenic, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particle pollution that power plants can emit, there are currently no national limits on carbon pollution levels.  The United States is committed to showing leadership on climate change.  This proposed rule underscores our strong commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The rule builds on a series of important actions taken during President Obama's Administration, including doubling efficiency standards for automobiles, doubling the use of wind and solar power, strict standards for any new coal power plants, strong measures to increase efficiency in buildings and electric appliances, and action to reduce emissions of methane and HFCs.



*       This proposed rule will be a major contribution to the achievement of our international pledge to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.  It will also contribute to continued emission reductions in the context of the new climate agreement that will be concluded in Paris in 2015.



Best regards,

ESTH Team
US Embassy
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