3 Steps Virginia Can Take to Meet—and Then Exceed—its Clean Power Plan Targets

This fact sheet by the World Resources Institute outlines how Virginia can meet and exceed the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan requirement to reduce power sector emissions by 23 percent below 2012 levels by 2030. It identifies three primary pathways—improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable energy, and utilizing existing natural gas plants—and details the potential economic benefits of these actions.

• The U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan mandates that Virginia reduce its power sector emissions by 23 percent below 2012 levels by the year 2030.
• Virginia can surpass its Clean Power Plan target by achieving its voluntary energy efficiency and renewable energy goals, which would result in a 27 percent reduction in power sector CO2 emissions below 2012 levels by 2030.
• Further emissions reductions of 16 percent are possible if Virginia operates its existing combined cycle (NGCC) natural gas plants, including those under construction as of January 2014, at a 75 percent capacity.
• The document identifies three specific steps for Virginia to exceed its targets: reducing electricity consumption by 10 percent below 2006 levels by 2022, meeting a voluntary renewable portfolio standard goal of 15 percent of electricity sold from renewable sources by 2025, and increasing the use of existing natural gas plants.
• Implementing these strategies offers significant economic opportunities: a robust energy efficiency policy could increase GDP by $286 million, renewable energy investments could provide $6.9 billion in net benefits by 2026, and selling unused emissions allowances to other states could generate an average of $100 million between 2022 and 2030 at a price of $10 per ton.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). 3 Steps Virginia Can Take to Meet—and Then Exceed—its Clean Power Plan Targets. https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-virginia-can-take-meet-and-then-exceed-its-clean-power-plan-targets

Chicago

World Resources Institute. 3 Steps Virginia Can Take to Meet—and Then Exceed—its Clean Power Plan Targets. 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-virginia-can-take-meet-and-then-exceed-its-clean-power-plan-targets.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=3 Steps Virginia Can Take to Meet—and Then Exceed—its Clean Power Plan Targets |date=6 October 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-virginia-can-take-meet-and-then-exceed-its-clean-power-plan-targets |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015steps, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{3 Steps Virginia Can Take to Meet—and Then Exceed—its Clean Power Plan Targets}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/3-steps-virginia-can-take-meet-and-then-exceed-its-clean-power-plan-targets}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }