{"id":18535,"date":"2018-04-26T08:48:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T13:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=18535"},"modified":"2018-07-31T14:17:57","modified_gmt":"2018-07-31T19:17:57","slug":"proof-that-the-clean-power-plans-strategy-for-cutting-carbon-pollution-is-the-industry-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2018\/04\/26\/proof-that-the-clean-power-plans-strategy-for-cutting-carbon-pollution-is-the-industry-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Proof that the Clean Power Plan\u2019s strategy for cutting carbon pollution is the industry standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

The public comment period is just about to close on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt\u2019s reckless attempt to repeal the Clean Power Plan, and thousands of Americans \u2014 including mayors, CEOs, energy experts, and citizens concerned about the threats Pruitt\u2019s actions pose to our children\u2019s health and future \u2014 have already spoken out in vigorous opposition<\/a> to the misguided repeal effort.<\/p>\n

There is a lot at stake. The Clean Power Plan would prevent 4,500 early deaths<\/a> and 90,000 childhood asthma attacks each year. It would cut carbon pollution by 32 percent from 2005 levels, and would substantially reduce other harmful air pollutants from power plants.<\/p>\n

By slashing air pollution and helping mitigate the threats of climate change, the Clean Power Plan would secure significant benefits to public health while growing the clean energy economy.<\/p>\n

Yet, as Pruitt continues his misguided effort to turn back the clock on lifesaving climate protections, momentum is growing in states and the power sector to slash carbon pollution and usher in a clean energy future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

States and companies are moving away from carbon-intensive sources of electricity generation, and are increasing their use of cleaner technologies \u2014 deploying the same cost-effective strategies to cut carbon pollution that EPA relied upon when establishing emission reduction targets under the Clean Power Plan. Pruitt\u2019s attempt to repeal the Clean Power Plan is putting this flexible approach to ambitious and low-cost emission reductions under attack.<\/p>\n

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Meaningful federal actions to reduce carbon pollution, such as the Clean Power Plan, remain essential to mitigate climate change. But in the meantime, states and companies \u2013 by making continued progress toward emission reductions through time-tested methods \u2013 are providing solid evidence that the Clean Power Plan\u2019s approach is not only reasonable, but is the industry-standard for reducing carbon pollution from the power sector.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The clean energy transformation is accelerating <\/strong><\/p>\n

Carbon pollution from the power sector fell to 27 percent below 2005 levels in 2017, continuing a clear downward trend<\/a> since the mid-2000\u2019s even as the U.S. economy continues to grow<\/a>. Carbon pollution levels from the power sector in the U.S. have now fallen below<\/a> emissions from transportation, demonstrating remarkable progress in cleaning up our electric grid.<\/p>\n

The rapid decarbonization of the U.S. power sector continues to be driven by a shift toward clean energy technologies. Renewable energy including solar, wind, and hydropower generated a record 18 percent<\/a> of U.S. electricity in 2017, and new renewables comprised nearly half of utility-scale generating capacity<\/a> installed in 2017. As more and more high-polluting coal plants become scheduled for retirement<\/a>, power companies and regulators from Colorado<\/a> to New Mexico<\/a> to Wisconsin<\/a> are increasingly replacing them directly with renewables.<\/p>\n

A precipitous drop in costs has made the outlook for clean energy increasingly bullish in recent years. The cost of utility-scale solar power fell by more than 77 percent<\/a> from 2010 to 2017. Worldwide, the cost of solar and onshore wind power declined by 18 percent<\/a> in the last year alone.<\/p>\n

As of 2017, the lifetime cost of unsubsidized wind and utility-scale solar is now below that of coal<\/a> and on par with the cost of natural gas combined cycle technology.<\/p>\n

Low-cost projections for clean energy are increasingly becoming a reality on the ground. In Colorado, for example, a recent solicitation for new renewables resulted in bid prices<\/a> for wind and solar plus <\/em>energy storage that are cheaper than the operating cost of nearly all coal plants in the state.<\/p>\n

States and power companies continue to lead<\/strong><\/p>\n

Across the country, state governors and major power companies have continued to ramp up forward-looking commitments to cut carbon pollution and deploy clean energy \u2014 recognizing these clear power sector trends and driving increasingly ambitious climate progress.<\/p>\n

Here are some recent examples:<\/p>\n

Power companies<\/strong><\/p>\n