5 Ways Missouri Can Meet EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Standards

This fact sheet by the World Resources Institute (WRI) outlines how Missouri can meet and exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed power plant emission standards. WRI analysis indicates that Missouri could reduce its power generation carbon-intensity by 21 percent below 2012 levels by 2020 and 31 percent by 2030 through a combination of energy efficiency, renewable energy expansion, and operational improvements to gas and coal plants.

• WRI analysis suggests Missouri can lower its emission rate (carbon-intensity of power generation) to 21 percent below 2012 levels by 2020 and 31 percent below 2012 levels by 2030 by utilizing existing infrastructure and expanding clean energy policies.
• Between 2005 and 2012, Missouri's power sector CO2 emissions decreased by 3 percent. In 2012, the state's generation mix consisted of coal (79 percent), nuclear (12 percent), natural gas (7 percent), and renewables (2 percent).
• Electricity demand in Missouri is projected to increase by 12 percent between 2012 and 2030. If this growth is met using coal and natural gas instead of renewables, emissions could increase by 12 percent over the same period.
• Missouri can achieve approximately 70 percent of the EPA's emission rate target between 2020 and 2030 by implementing five specific measures: increasing coal plant efficiency by 2.5 percent, running existing and planned combined cycle (NGCC) natural gas plants at 75 percent, deploying more combined heat and power (CHP) systems, meeting the Renewable Energy Standard (RES) of 15 percent by 2021 through in-state generation, and achieving the Energy Efficiency Investment Act's voluntary goal of nearly 10 percent cumulative electricity sales savings by 2020.
• Clean energy policies are projected to provide significant economic benefits to Missouri. Ameren Missouri estimated that reducing electricity use by 10 percent by 2020 and 11 percent by 2030 could yield $1.7 billion in net benefits. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy estimated that new efficiency initiatives could save consumers $6.1 billion and create over 8,500 jobs. Additionally, the state's RES could create nearly 30,000 jobs and over $1 billion in new income by 2021.

APA

World Resources Institute (2014). 5 Ways Missouri Can Meet EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Standards. https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-missouri-can-meet-epas-proposed-power-plant-standards

Chicago

World Resources Institute. 5 Ways Missouri Can Meet EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Standards. 2014. https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-missouri-can-meet-epas-proposed-power-plant-standards.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=5 Ways Missouri Can Meet EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Standards |date=10 December 2014 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-missouri-can-meet-epas-proposed-power-plant-standards |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2014ways, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{5 Ways Missouri Can Meet EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Standards}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/5-ways-missouri-can-meet-epas-proposed-power-plant-standards}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }