The Clean Power Plan Opportunity

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis suggests that the Clean Power Plan (CPP) can reduce nationwide power plant carbon pollution by approximately 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The proposed 'CPP National Trading Case' emphasizes a combination of wind, solar, and energy efficiency, supported by a national carbon emissions trading program. This approach is projected to generate $103 billion in public health and climate benefits through 2030 and create an average annual revenue of $17.8 billion from carbon allowance auctions between 2022 and 2030. While it may cause a modest near-term increase in household electricity bills, the analysis predicts net savings for consumers by 2030 due to lower operating costs of renewables and efficiency gains.

• The Clean Power Plan aims for a nationwide reduction in power plant carbon pollution of approximately 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
• A national carbon emissions trading program using auctioned allowances could generate an average annual revenue of $17.8 billion from 2022 to 2030, totaling $116.8 billion in present-value dollars.
• The combined public health and climate benefits from reducing CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions under the National Trading Case are estimated at $103 billion through 2030, averaging $14.8 billion annually from 2015 to 2030.
• Implementation of the National Trading Case is projected to cause a modest initial increase in typical household monthly electricity bills of 3.2 percent (about $2.50) in 2022, but lead to a reduction of 1.1 percent ($0.81) by 2030.
• Interstate trading of carbon allowances is estimated to be $9.8 billion cheaper through 2030 compared to a compliance scenario without such trading.
• The transition away from coal is already occurring; coal's share of the U.S. electricity supply fell from about 50 percent in 2008 to less than 39 percent in 2014.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). The Clean Power Plan Opportunity. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/03/national-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. The Clean Power Plan Opportunity. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/03/national-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=The Clean Power Plan Opportunity |date=March 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/03/national-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016clean, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{The Clean Power Plan Opportunity}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/03/national-clean-power-plan-analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }