3 Steps Missouri Can Take to Meet its Clean Power Plan Targets

This World Resources Institute fact sheet outlines three strategies forS Missouri can employ to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan (CPP) requirement to reduce power sector emissions by 29 percent below 2012 levels by 2030.

• Missouri is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lower its power sector emissions to 29 percent below 2012 levels by the year 2030. While emissions fell 6 percent between 2005 and 2012, they are projected to increase by 15 percent between 2012 and 2030 because of rising electricity demand.
• Missouri can achieve 90 percent of its required emissions reductions by combining two actions: adhering to existing clean energy policies and optimizing the use of existing power plants. Existing policies include a renewable energy standard requiring 15 percent of investor-owned utility sales to be renewable by 2021, and Public Service Commission electricity savings goals of 1.9 percent of sales per year from 2020 onwards. Optimization involves running combined cycle natural gas plants at 75 percent capacity and implementing low- or no-cost operational improvements at coal plants.
• To fully meet and exceed the CPP target, Missouri could increase renewable generation to 20 percent of all state electricity sales by 2030. This would result in power sector emissions being 34 percent below 2012 levels by 2030, exceeding the required reductions by 17 percent.
• Implementing these clean energy steps offers significant economic opportunities for Missouri. As of 2014, the wind industry contributed nearly $1 billion in total capital investment and $1.4 million in annual land lease payments. Additionally, expanded efficiency programs could save homes and businesses over $6 billion in energy bills, and the state could earn $20 million annually from 2022-2030 by selling surplus carbon credits to other states, based on a $10 per ton price.

APA

World Resources Institute (2016). 3 Steps Missouri Can Take to Meet its Clean Power Plan Targets. https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-missouri-can-take-meet-its-clean-power-plan-targets

Chicago

World Resources Institute. 3 Steps Missouri Can Take to Meet its Clean Power Plan Targets. 2016. https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-missouri-can-take-meet-its-clean-power-plan-targets.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=3 Steps Missouri Can Take to Meet its Clean Power Plan Targets |date=7 January 2016 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-missouri-can-take-meet-its-clean-power-plan-targets |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2016steps, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{3 Steps Missouri Can Take to Meet its Clean Power Plan Targets}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-missouri-can-take-meet-its-clean-power-plan-targets}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }