On August 3, 2015, President Obama announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule to cut carbon emissions from the nation’s power plants under the Clean Air Act. The so-called Clean Power Plan sets forth the first national standards for addressing carbon pollution from power plants. The Plan aims to cut covered emissions by 870 million tons—nearly a third of all current carbon pollution—by 2030. According to the EPA, carbon emissions account for 82 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and power plants account for 31 percent of U.S. carbon emissions. Once the Plan has taken full effect in 2030, carbon emissions from the power sector are expected to be 32 percent below 2005 levels. In addition to cutting emissions of carbon dioxide, the EPA expects the Plan to bring sulfur dioxide emissions 90 percent below 2005 levels, and nitrogen oxide emissions 71 percent below 2005 levels. The EPA asserts that the Plan will result in net benefits ranging from $26 to $45 billion.
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