Emissions Reductions Under Pollution Reduction Proposals in the 111th U.S. Congress

The analysis compares the GHG reduction potential of the APA, ACESA, and CLEARA across three scenarios: emissions caps only, caps plus complementary requirements, and a range of potential additional reductions. The APA's emissions caps alone are projected to achieve a 14 percent reduction relative to 2005 levels by 2020 and a 72 percent reduction by 2050. When including complementary requirements and potential additional measures, the APA could reach reductions of up to 19 percent by 2020 and 77 percent by 2050, though the latter depends on the quality and quantity of international offsets. The APA and ACESA are noted to require greater net annual GHG reductions than CLEARA, although the APA's later start year (2013) results in slightly fewer reductions in the first five years compared to the ACESA.

• The American Power Act (APA) emissions caps are projected to achieve net GHG reductions of 14 percent relative to 2005 levels by 2020, increasing to 72 percent by 2050.
• When incorporating complementary requirements and potential additional measures, the APA's reduction potential increases to 15 percent by 2020 and 73 percent by 2050, with a maximum potential of 19 percent by 2020 and 77 percent by 2050 depending on international offset quality.
• The APA and ACESA require higher net annual GHG reductions than CLEARA, but the APA's 2013 start year and the delay of some sources until 2016 result in fewer reductions during the first five years than the ACESA.
• The analysis excludes GHG reductions from APA programs that are not funded or require additional congressional action, as well as emissions above the cap that might occur due to a safety valve in CLEARA.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Emissions Reductions Under Pollution Reduction Proposals in the 111th U.S. Congress. https://www.wri.org/research/emissions-reductions-under-pollution-reduction-proposals-111th-us-congress

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Emissions Reductions Under Pollution Reduction Proposals in the 111th U.S. Congress. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/emissions-reductions-under-pollution-reduction-proposals-111th-us-congress.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Emissions Reductions Under Pollution Reduction Proposals in the 111th U.S. Congress |url=https://www.wri.org/research/emissions-reductions-under-pollution-reduction-proposals-111th-us-congress |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendemissions, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Emissions Reductions Under Pollution Reduction Proposals in the 111th U.S. Congress}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/emissions-reductions-under-pollution-reduction-proposals-111th-us-congress}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }