The CPP was introduced in 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the overall goal of reducing power sector emissions to 32 percent below 2003 levels by 2020. It is worth mentioning that it has never been properly applied, but if it is about 6,600 premature, deaths, 1 heart00 heart attack, and 90,000 asthma attacks per year can be prevented – up to 300,000 not to mention work and school days.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration pulled the plug on the Clean Power Plan (CPP) by replacing the Obama-era law with the (much weaker) Affordable Energy (ACE) rule. The policy urges states to control and reduce carbon emissions – critics say higher emissions and poorer health results.
“The CPP was asking low- and middle-income Americans to bear the cost of the previous administration’s climate planning,” Wheeler told the audience, with the announcement of the new ACE. “An analysis predicts double-digit electricity price increases in 40 states under the CPP.”
Trump’s White House has notoriously acted as a fossil fuel, with several former executives and lobbyists in positions of power and has threatened to scrap the CPP from day one. On Wednesday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler (a former lobbyist himself) followed suit, addressing a crowd of lawmakers in the mining and coal-mining country.
According to a Harvard study exploring the potential impact of ACE, carbon-dioxide emissions at the national level are expected to be 0.8 percent lower than in 2030 and are expected to increase to 0.6 percent in 2050 without any policy.
Further, carbon-dioxide emissions increased by 8.7 percent in 18 states and DC, sulfur dioxide emissions increased in 148 states, and sulfur dioxide emissions increased in 19 states, and nitrogen oxide emissions increased. Up to 9 percent in 20 states and DC (compared to any policy).
This excess pollution could have detrimental effects on human health as well as the environment, causing 1,400 more premature deaths than CPP replacements, CNN reported.
“In light of the blatant violation of the Clean Air Act, I look forward to cooperating with other states and cities to sue the EPA over this ‘dirty power’ rule and to take action to protect all Americans from the growing catastrophic effects of climate change.” We will have to wait and see how it works.
