Hello Readers,
As you may have heard, the US Environmental Protection Agency recently released rules that limit CO2 emissions from new power plants in the US to 1000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour (MWh). This limit is higher than the 800 lbs/MWh emitted by modern natural gas plants, but it is much lower than the 1800 lbs/MWh emitted by traditional coal plants.
There is already a lot of commentary and analysis about this ruling, so I will not add too much of mine. Instead, here are some news articles, which I have renamed and summarized, that discuss the ruling.
From the Washington Post: "Why EPA’s new carbon rules won’t have much impact — for now"
An article that should be named: "Now 'n' Later: a Coal Story"
This article summarizes the basics of the ruling and the impact it will have on current coal power plants, new coal power plants, and just a little bit about the wider impact of the ruling.
From Forbes: "Will Congress Save Coal after EPA Carbon Ruling?"
An article that should be named: "Why Bother?"
This article lays out the options that the coal industry can suggest to congress to avoid or mitigate the effects of the ruling. Although, it also points out that many in the overall energy industry have already started to move on or diversify their energy portfolio.
From Platts: "Does EPA's carbon rule make it easier or harder for utilities to plan?"
An article that should be named: "Congressional Conservatives Undermined Coal by Cutting Cap-and-Trade"
This article talks a lot (a lot!) about CCS. It discusses some of the costs for using coal 'responsibly' in the future. It also mentions that the coal industry is looking for government money to meet these costs, so if you ever hear someone knocking on the renewable energy industry for taking government money let them know about how much coal is requesting!
For EPA updates about progress on limiting GHG emissions, you can visit the EPA website:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html.
Hooray for later!
Sean
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