Washington.- The US government on Thursday proposed new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious initiative to date to reduce global warming pollution from the second largest contributor to the climate change in the country.
A new rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could force power plants to capture stack emissions using a technology long promised but not widely used. in United States.
“This administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and taking the necessary actions,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during Thursday’s announcement.
The new rule will “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-powered power plants, protecting health and our planet,” Regan added. The plan will not only “improve air quality nationwide, but it will bring substantial health benefits to communities across the country, especially our front-line communities… who have unfairly borne the burden of pollution for decades,” Regan added in a speech at the University of Maryland.
If finalized, the proposed regulation would mark the first time 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 transport. The rule would also apply to future power plants and prevent up to 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2042, equal to the annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, the EPA reported.
Nearly all coal-fired power plants, along with the large gas-fired power plants in frequent use, would have to reduce or capture nearly all of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038, the EPA said. Those plants that cannot meet the new standards will be forced to close.
