EPA chief: New climate rules are safe from courts, Congress
| Washington
The Obama administration is moving forward with a proposed plan to slash carbon emissions from US power plants despite attacks in courts and in Congress, the top US environmental regulator said Tuesday.
鈥淭he Clean Power Plan will absolutely be litigated,鈥� US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy acknowledged Tuesday at a Monitor-hosted conversation in Washington, but she added that her agency is 鈥渟till on track to produce that plan this summer.鈥�
After the Supreme Court sent EPA鈥檚 rules on Mercury emissions back to the DC circuit last week, some observers wondered if that setback signaled rough waters ahead for the Obama administration鈥檚 boldest climate rule: the Clean Power Plan. Those proposed rules aim to cut US power plant emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. At Tuesday鈥檚 event, Ms. McCarthy stressed that 鈥渓ast week鈥檚 ruling will not affect鈥� the Clean Power Plan. 听
As negotiators work toward a global climate deal to cut emissions, the Clean Power Plan has emerged as the centerpiece of the US鈥檚 contribution to global climate efforts. President Obama says ambitious power plant cuts will spur other countries to offer equally bold emissions reductions, and that negotiators will be able to stitch all of those pledges into a global deal come December鈥檚 talks.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 take strong action, we know we鈥檙e not going to get global action,鈥� McCarthy says. The US is leading the way, she added, helping to ensure other major emitters across the globe make ambitious pledges.
Here鈥檚 a few other key points from McCarthy鈥檚 talk:
Three big ideas:听
1. The economy and environment aren鈥檛 in conflict. The US has been cutting pollution and imposing new environmental regulations for decades, and its economy has grown 鈥� and that will continue as states begin to implement the climate rule鈥檚 emissions reductions, McCarthy said. In big emitters like China and India, she added, the idea that a clean environment is necessary for a strong economy is increasingly taking root, too. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e recognizing their air quality issues are part and parcel of a larger economic problem,鈥� McCarthy said. Rapid industrialization in those countries has brought air pollution that threatens public health and the economy.
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2. Momentum is building toward a climate deal. McCarthy expressed confidence that the US is posting a strong commitment toward the global climate deal taking shape through the UN. 鈥淔rankly I think the dynamics of the discussion are going in a much better direction than they ever have before,鈥� McCarthy said. Those US pledges have helped get big emitters in the developing world 鈥� she mentioned China, India, and Brazil 鈥� to come to the table promising action of their own.
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听3.听Energy is changing 鈥� with or without government action to slash emissions. Even without EPA regulations, utilities and businesses are shifting to cleaner-burning natural gas and zero-emissions wind and solar, McCarthy said. Natural gas is cheap enough to undercut coal, making it easy for the US to switch away from the emissions-heavy fossil fuel. Costs for solar and wind have also fallen precipitously in recent years, but as it stands now countries like China and Germany are leading the way in clean-energy manufacturing; as McCarthy said, in the US, 鈥渨e have catch-up to do.鈥�
Two notable quotes:
There鈥檚 nobody here that would have projected the technology innovation of the past two or three decades. The world has changed. Our kids don鈥檛 even know what the world looks like without cell phones and laptops 鈥� So for anybody to say that in 2030 I can鈥檛 project the exact ways for getting to the future that I think I need 鈥� and to use that as an excuse for inaction is pretty short-sighted, and is not looking at the history of this country. ... If you don鈥檛 actually move off of the starting gate when you鈥檙e in a marathon, you clearly will not win.鈥�
We certainly know how to defend lawsuits 鈥� We鈥檙e actually very good at writing rules and defending them, and this [Clean Power Plan] will be no exception.鈥�
