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Earthjustice supports President Obama's commitment to tackling carbon pollution from power plants and clean car standards, but argues that the U.S. must prioritize 'best of the above' clean energy over an 'all-of-the-above' strategy that includes natural gas and other fossil fuels.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) endorses President Obama's commitment to enact new emissions standards for existing power plants as part of the Climate Action Plan. WRI argues that such standards can drive innovation and economic opportunity, noting that the average U.S. coal plant is nearly 40 years old. The statement emphasizes that U.S. domestic leadership is essential to meeting its international commitment to reduce emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and to securing a universal climate agreement in Paris in 2015.

The World Resources Institute supports the U.S. EPA's proposed emissions standards for new power plants as a key component of the President's Climate Action Plan. While the standards provide flexibility through carbon capture and storage (CCS) and reflect market shifts toward natural gas and renewables, the document emphasizes that addressing the existing power plant fleet is the most critical opportunity for emissions reductions, as electricity generation accounts for one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The document asserts that the United States can save billions of dollars annually by implementing the National Climate Action Plan, noting that the costs of climate inaction—such as extreme weather damages—are already significant. It highlights four key areas for emissions reductions: power plants, energy efficiency, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and methane, arguing that the resulting public health and economic gains exceed regulatory costs. The text further claims that EPA regulations often cost less than projected and can stimulate industry investment by providing a clear regulatory framework.

Earthjustice supports the nomination of Gina McCarthy to lead the EPA, citing her experience as a pragmatist and her work on clean car emissions and mercury pollution rules. The organization urges the new leadership to prioritize limits on industrial carbon pollution from power plants, finalize Clean Water Act jurisdiction policy, and establish safeguards for coal ash disposal.

The Centre for Environmental Rights criticises the draft Infrastructure Development Bill for omitting references to sustainable development and imposing a strict 250-day authorisation timeline for special infrastructure projects (SIPs). The author contends that these fast-tracked processes bypass necessary scientific assessments and public consultations, potentially violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment and just administrative action. The document warns that inadequate environmental planning for projects like mines and power stations will lead to long-term state liabilities and disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.

The World Resources Institute calls on the re-elected President Obama to establish a strong national climate and energy strategy, including carbon pricing and stricter emissions standards for power plants, to move beyond a 'piecemeal approach' and secure a competitive position in the $2.3 trillion clean energy market.

The document highlights Ethiopia's significant investment in infrastructure, spending $1.3 billion annually (10% of GDP), with a focus on energy and transport. It notes that Ethiopia requires 8700 megawatts of generating plant over the next decade to double its capacity. While Kenya is often seen as the regional anchor, the author argues that Ethiopia's growth rates since 2005/06 and its strategic importance make it a potential regional powerhouse. However, Ethiopia faces fundamental business challenges including foreign currency regulations, inflation, and a lack of competitiveness in its manufacturing sector, which contributes less than 10 percent of total merchandise exports.

The EPA is implementing a phased approach to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, starting with the largest industrial sources. Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling and a 2009 Endangerment Finding, the EPA established permitting requirements for new or modified facilities emitting significant amounts of CO2e. These requirements include a Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analysis. The agency has also implemented a three-year deferral for biomass facilities and plans to establish New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for power plants and oil refineries by 2012.

The EPA has introduced new GHG permitting standards under the Clean Air Act, requiring large power plants and refineries to undergo a Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analysis. While states typically issue these permits, the EPA has taken over this role in Arizona and Texas due to non-compliance. The program targets facilities adding more than 75,000 tons of CO2 (or equivalent) and will expand in July 2011 to include all new facilities emitting over 100,000 tons per year. The BACT process involves a five-step evaluation of technology availability, feasibility, effectiveness, and impact to determine the best emission control options.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) challenges a timeline produced by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), asserting that the EPA is pursuing a realistic regulatory schedule for the electric power sector. WRI contends that many items on the EEI timeline are procedural or existing obligations rather than new requirements. The document highlights significant 'regulatory lag time,' noting that the industry has had years or decades of notice for most pollutants. It emphasizes that finalizing these rules under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is essential for public health and provides the investment certainty needed for a 21st-century power fleet.

The World Resources Institute analysis finds that while existing federal and state tools can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even the most ambitious 'Go-Getter' scenario falls short of the U.S. Copenhagen pledge to reduce emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The report models three levels of regulatory ambition—Lackluster, Middle-of-the-Road, and Go-Getter—across key sectors including power plants, transportation, and industry. It concludes that additional legislative action is necessary to meet international climate targets and the long-term goal of 80 to 95 percent reductions by 2050.

Friends of the Earth calls for the resignation of EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, citing a pattern of ignoring scientific recommendations, violating legal mandates regarding greenhouse gas emissions, and retaliating against whistleblowers.

The document outlines Dr. James E. Hansen's testimony on climate change, highlighting that the United States is the largest source of CO2 emissions and that current 'Business-as-Usual' trends could lead to at least 5°C of warming by 2100. It warns of non-linear ice sheet disintegration in Greenland and West Antarctica, potentially causing sea level rises of 25±10 meters if warming reaches 2-3°C. Hansen argues that abrupt climate changes are practically certain under current emission trends, but an 'Alternative Scenario' could keep warming below 1°C if CO2 emissions are moderately reduced by mid-century and peak by 2100.

The document details the implementation and legal battles over the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which aim to reduce toxic air emissions from power plants. It highlights the significant public health benefits of the standards, including the prevention of thousands of premature deaths and heart attacks, and the reduction of mercury emissions by 75%. The text tracks the legal trajectory from the 2012 release of MATS through a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court remand and a subsequent 2015 U.S. Court of Appeals decision that upheld the standards against industry challenges.

The Clean Air Task Force argues that the EPA's 2004 decision regarding cooling water intake structures for existing power plants is too weak because it replaces technology mandates with vague performance standards and allows for fish population 'restoration' instead of preventing kills. The document highlights that once-through cooling systems, used by 52% of U.S. plants, cause massive fish mortality and thermal pollution, whereas recirculating cooling could reduce water use by 95%.

The document details the significant contribution of Midwest power plants to US sulfur emissions, noting that coal combustion in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin releases millions of tons of sulfur dioxide annually. It emphasizes that 'grandfathered' plants exploit Clean Air Act loopholes to avoid using scrubbers, which can remove 90-95% of emissions, leading to severe health issues and environmental damage.

The Center for International Environmental Law asserts that the Bush energy plan would increase overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 35% or more, and power plant emissions by up to 65%, thereby breaching the UN Climate Convention's requirement for industrialized nations to reduce emissions to 1990 levels.

The document asserts that CCS is essential to avoid a 2-degree Celsius temperature rise, as it is the only large-scale abatement option for many industrial sources. It highlights that the IEA projects a need for 6,000 million tonnes of CO2 reduction via CCS by 2050. The text argues that CCS is cost-competitive, especially when paired with enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and can be more economical than intermittent renewables when accounting for system balancing and transmission costs.

The report identifies power plants as the primary source of sulfate particles causing regional haze in U.S. national parks, which significantly reduces visibility and diminishes visitor enjoyment. An analysis by Abt Associates estimates that eliminating power plant haze would provide a total annual benefit of $7.7 billion, comprising $4.3 billion in recreational visibility and $3.4 billion in residential visibility. The document highlights that improved visibility could increase park visitation by 10% to 25%, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for local communities. It recommends the implementation of 'best available retrofit technology' (BART) and a shift toward natural gas and renewable energy to achieve the national goal of remedying visibility impairment.