{"id":14680,"date":"2017-01-10T10:44:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T16:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=14680"},"modified":"2017-01-10T11:18:07","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T17:18:07","slug":"states-power-companies-lead-in-cutting-carbon-election-not-slowing-expected-2017-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/01\/10\/states-power-companies-lead-in-cutting-carbon-election-not-slowing-expected-2017-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"States, Power Companies Lead in Cutting Carbon; Election Not Slowing Expected 2017 Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_14684\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14684\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14684 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/38\/files\/2017\/01\/BI-Wind-Farm-aerial-summer-2016-768x437-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"bi-wind-farm-aerial-summer-2016-768x437\" width=\"300\" height=\"171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/38\/files\/2017\/01\/BI-Wind-Farm-aerial-summer-2016-768x437-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/38\/files\/2017\/01\/BI-Wind-Farm-aerial-summer-2016-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14684\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island. Photo courtesy of Deepwater Wind.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/people\/pam-kiely?_ga=1.158861177.2126085569.1483040159\">Pam Kiely<\/a>, senior director, Regulatory Strategy, and co-authored by Charlie Jiang, EDF associate<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2016 was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/electricity\/monthly\/\">Renewable energy sources<\/a>\u00a0provided 16.9 percent of the country\u2019s electricity in the first half of 2016, up from 13.7 percent for all of 2015. The country\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2016\/12\/first-offshore-wind-farm-in-us-waters-is-delivering-power-to-rhode-island\/\">first<\/a> offshore wind farm\u00a0opened off the coast of Rhode Island. Most importantly, carbon emissions from the power sector are projected to\u00a0continue to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=28312\">decline<\/a>\u00a0and hit levels not seen since 1992.<\/p>\n<p>Strong leadership by forward-thinking governors, policymakers, and power company executives who recognize the imperative of lower-carbon generation and the promise of clean energy, powerful market forces intensifying the push to lower-carbon resources, and the critical federal regulatory overlay of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/climate\/a-new-federal-clean-power-plan\">Clean Power Plan<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 which has made clear that unlimited carbon pollution is a thing of the past \u2014 have all combined to deepen a trend towards cleaner electricity production at this dynamic moment in time.<\/p>\n<p>Even with any possible\u00a0political<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/11\/us\/politics\/donald-trump-climate-change.html?_r=2\"> maneuverings<\/a>\u00a0in Washington, D.C. to reverse clean energy and climate progress, it is clear that the transition to a low-carbon future is well under way.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>States and power companies are surging ahead \u2014 and given the favorable economics of clean energy and the urgent need to reduce climate-destabilizing pollution it would be foolish to turn back.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>More than 21 gigawatts of wind and solar power (utility-scale and rooftop) are projected to have been installed in 2016, accounting for 68 percent of new U.S. capacity additions. That\u2019s according to analyses by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/remote1.edf.org\/+CSCO+0p75676763663A2F2F6A6A6A2E737265702E746269++\/legal\/staff-reports\/2016\/oct-energy-infrastructure.pdf\">FERC<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snl.com\/web\/client?auth=inherit#news\/article?id=38605862&amp;KPLT=6&amp;s_data=si%3D7%26kpa%3Dundefined%26sa%3D\">SNL Energy<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=25172\">EIA<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.seia.org\/research-resources\/solar-market-insight-report-2016-q4\">SEIA\/GTM Research<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Some of the country\u2019s oldest and least efficient power plants were\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/morningconsult.com\/2016\/05\/03\/coal-plants-shutting-without-clean-power-plan\/\">scheduled<\/a> to close in 2016, transitioning 5.3 gigawatts of capacity,\u00a0in no small part due to increasingly favorable economics for low-carbon generation.<\/li>\n<li>Since 2014, solar installation has created more <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesolarfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TSF-2015-National-Solar-Jobs-Census.pdf\">jobs<\/a> than oil and gas pipeline construction and crude petroleum and natural gas extraction combined. According to recent reports, there are now more than 400,000 jobs in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.e2.org\/clean-jobs-america\/\">renewable<\/a> energy<u>.<\/u><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Together, these trends indicate the U.S. power sector is well-positioned to continue to reduce carbon pollution at a significant pace. And because of the favorable economics for low-carbon generation and the urgent need to protect against climate risks,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/files\/2017\/01\/Clean-Power-Plan-business-support.pdf\">hundreds<\/a> of major corporations\u00a0are on record supporting the Clean Power Plan and the achievement of emission reduction targets.<\/p>\n<p>Power sector carbon emissions\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=26232\">declined<\/a>\u00a0to 21 percent below 2005 levels in 2015, and are\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=28312\">expected<\/a> to drop again in 2016,\u00a0meaning the power sector is\u00a0already<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=26232\"> two-thirds<\/a> of the way\u00a0towards meeting its 2030 pollution reduction goals under the Clean Power Plan.<\/p>\n<p>[Tweet &#8220;States and power companies lead in cutting carbon.&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Notably,\u00a0this\u00a0de-carbonization of the electric sector has proceeded while the\u00a0U.S economy has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iea.org\/newsroom\/news\/2016\/march\/decoupling-of-global-emissions-and-economic-growth-confirmed.html\">grown<\/a>. In addition, recent analysis by the Brookings Institution shows that as of 2014,\u00a0at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/research\/growth-carbon-and-trump-state-progress-and-drift-on-economic-growth-and-emissions-decoupling\/#fullreport\">33<\/a> individual states\u00a0have also decoupled their economic\u00a0growth from carbon pollution \u2014 continuing to grow their gross domestic product while significantly slowing their rate of greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<p>Heading into 2017, companies from coast to coast are well-positioned to secure ongoing reductions in carbon emissions from their fleets \u2013 thereby\u00a0helping the United States to achieve international <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/17\/business\/energy-environment\/us-companies-to-trump-dont-abandon-global-climate-deal.html?mtrref=www.google.com\">commitments<\/a>\u00a0under the Paris Agreement, delivering greater value to customers and shareholders while ensuring state or municipal policy objectives will be achieved, and sharpening their ability to meet declining emissions limits in accordance with a federal regulatory framework.<\/p>\n<p>Even the vast majority of states litigating against the Clean Power Plan\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2016\/09\/21\/compliance-with-clean-power-plan-is-within-reach-even-for-states-opposing-it\/\">can comply<\/a> with the CPP targets\u00a0by optimizing the carbon pollution benefits from already planned investments and compliance with existing state policies. The Clean Power Plan is crucial to making certain that states and companies take advantage of the opportunity to ensure the carbon reduction potential of these investments are fully realized, so they can in fact achieve these reasonable protections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"simplePullQuote right\"><p>De-carbonization of the electric sector has proceeded while the\u00a0U.S economy has grown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The shift to a lower-carbon future should continue, as\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/sites\/default\/files\/content\/power_sector_clean_energy_momentum_20170105.pdf\"><strong>power companies<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0recognize both the imperative to reduce emissions and the benefits of moving in this direction despite changing political winds in Washington.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, shortly after the November election, a number of executives from historically coal-intensive companies convincingly reaffirmed their commitment to de-carbonization:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No matter who occupies the White House, \u201c[coal is] not coming back,\u201d said\u00a0<strong>American Electric Power <\/strong>CEO\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/the-economics-of-trumpism\/article\/2005464\">Nick Akins<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re moving to a cleaner-energy economy and we\u2019re still getting pressure from investors to reduce carbon emissions. I don\u2019t see that changing.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIt can&#8217;t just be, \u2018We&#8217;re going to get rid of these regulations, and you guys can party until the next administration comes,\u2019\u201d\u00a0<strong>Cloud Peak Energy<\/strong>\u00a0Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apnews.com\/b3e33eb6a9b6402785d09625bdaeb060\">Richard Reavey<\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cThere are serious global concerns about climate emissions. We have to recognize that&#8217;s a political reality and work within that framework.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMarkets are driving a lot of the behavior,\u201d said\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/cheap-gas-tests-trumps-promise-to-revive-coal-1479080359\">Tom Williams<\/a>,\u00a0a spokesman for\u00a0<strong>Duke Energy<\/strong>. \u201c[W]e\u2019ll continue to move toward a lower carbon energy mix.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe&#8217;ve always had a point of view at Southern that there&#8217;s a reasonable trajectory in which to move the portfolio of the United States to a lower carbon future,\u201d said\u00a0<strong>Southern Company<\/strong>\u00a0CEO <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eenews.net\/energywire\/2016\/12\/19\/stories\/1060047387\">Tom Fanning<\/a>. \u201cThere&#8217;s a way to transition the fleet now.\u201d\u00a0In a later<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eenews.net\/energywire\/2016\/12\/19\/stories\/1060047387\"> interview<\/a>, Fanning added: \u201cIt&#8217;s clear that the courts have given the EPA the right to deal with carbon in a certain way.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cRegardless of the outcome of the election,\u201d said\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snl.com\/web\/client?auth=inherit#news\/article?id=38425633&amp;KeyProductLinkType=14\">Frank Prager<\/a>,\u00a0<strong>Xcel Energy<\/strong>\u2019s Vice President of Policy and Federal Affairs, \u201cXcel Energy will continue pursuing energy and environmental strategies that appeal to policymakers across the political spectrum because we are focused on renewable and other infrastructure projects that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions without increasing prices or sacrificing reliability.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"simplePullQuote right\"><p>&#8220;Markets are driving a lot of the behavior.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Acting on these commitments,\u00a0<strong>many<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>power companies are continuing to expand their renewable investments while phasing out high-carbon generation<\/strong>, putting them in a solid position to comply with robust carbon pollution regulations.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few recent highlights just from the last months:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At the end of December,\u00a0<strong>Florida Power &amp; Light (FPL)\u00a0<\/strong>showed strong leadership when\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom.fpl.com\/2016-12-21-FPL-shuts-down-Cedar-Bay-coal-fired-power-plant-helping-the-environment-and-saving-customers-more-than-70-million\">announcing<\/a> plans\u00a0to shut down the recently-acquired 250-megawatt Cedar Bay coal plant at the end of the year. \u201cI&#8217;m very proud of our employees for proposing this innovative approach that&#8217;s environmentally beneficial and saves customers millions of dollars,\u201d said\u00a0CEO Eric Silagy. FPL plans to replace the retired power with natural gas and solar \u2014 the company added 224 megawatts of solar capacity in 2016. FPL also noted that their system is now \u201ccleaner today than the 2030 carbon emissions rate goal for Florida outlined by the Clean Power Plan,\u201d while average residential bills are about 30 percent lower than the national average.<\/li>\n<li>On December 30,\u00a0<strong>Southern Company<\/strong>\u00a0announced an agreement with\u00a0<strong>Renewable Energy Systems America\u00a0<\/strong>to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/southern-company-subsidiary-announces-strategic-wind-development-agreement-300384200.html\">develop<\/a> 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy\u00a0scheduled to come online between 2018 and 2020. The agreement comes as Southern Company continued to boost its renewable portfolio with the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.southerncompany.com\/news\/2016-12-22-spc-acquires-wind-projects.cshtml\">acquisition<\/a> of 300 megawatts of wind power\u00a0in late December, bringing its total to more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable generation added or announced since 2012.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Duke Energy<\/strong>\u00a0acquired its\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/charlotte\/news\/2016\/12\/08\/duke-energy-scores-its-first-colorado-solar.html\">first<\/a> solar project\u00a0in Colorado on Dec. 8. The purchase\u00a0advances Duke\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/inside-duke-energys-renewables-strategy\/401084\/\">goal<\/a>\u00a0of owning more than 6,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects by 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After the election, a number of power companies reiterated their commitment to reducing air pollution and meeting their obligations under the federal Clean Air Act by transitioning aging coal plants.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PNM Resources<\/strong>\u00a0spokesman Pahl Shipley\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snl.com\/web\/client?auth=inherit#news\/article?id=38425633&amp;KeyProductLinkType=14\">said<\/a> the company has no change in plans\u00a0for retiring two units at a New Mexico plant, totaling 837 megawatts of capacity, in 2017. PNM will\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elp.com\/articles\/2014\/07\/pnm-resource-plan-outlines-replacing-san-juan-coal-capacity.html\">replace<\/a> the retired capacity\u00a0with solar and nuclear power.<\/li>\n<li>The<strong>\u00a0Tennessee Valley Authority<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0moving<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snl.com\/web\/client?auth=inherit#news\/article?id=38425633&amp;KeyProductLinkType=14\"> forward<\/a>\u00a0with plans to retire two coal plants in 2017, as well as a third in 2018.<\/li>\n<li>Colorado-based electric cooperative\u00a0<strong>Tri-State Generation<\/strong>\u00a0will move<a href=\"https:\/\/www.snl.com\/web\/client?auth=inherit#news\/article?id=38425633&amp;KeyProductLinkType=14\"> forward<\/a>\u00a0with plans to retire its 100-megawatt Nucla coal plant and Unit 1 of the Craig coal plant. \u201cWe are moving forward with retirement activities and developing a transition plan for the employees and communities,\u201d said Tri-State spokesman Lee Boughey after the election.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"simplePullQuote right\"><p>Duke Energy\u00a0acquired its\u00a0first solar project\u00a0in Colorado on Dec. 8.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>These announcements follow one of the biggest clean energy leadership stories of 2016 \u2013 commitments by two midcontinent utilities,\u00a0<strong>Xcel Energy<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Berkshire Hathaway Energy<\/strong>, to go big on cost-effective investments in new wind resources.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This past year, Minnesota regulators\u00a0approved a<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/xcel-to-replace-14-gw-of-coal-with-renewables-gas-as-minnesota-regulators\/428268\/\"> plan<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0<strong>Xcel Energy<\/strong>\u00a0to construct as much as 1,800 megawatts of new wind power and 1,400 megawatts of solar in the state by 2030. Xcel\u00a0also received <a href=\"http:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/colorado-regulators-approve-xcels-600-mw-rush-creek-wind-settlement\/427846\/\">approval<\/a>\u00a0to build a 600 megawatt wind farm in Colorado.<\/li>\n<li>Berkshire subsidiary\u00a0<strong>MidAmerican Energy<\/strong>\u00a0secured <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/american-iowa-wind-farm-approval-2016-9\">approval<\/a>\u00a0to construct a massive 2,000 megawatt wind farm in Iowa that will be the \u201clargest wind energy project in US history.\u201d Said\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.midamericanenergy.com\/news-article.aspx?story=777\">CEO Bill Fehrman<\/a>: \u201cOur customers want more renewable energy, and we couldn\u2019t agree more.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>State policymakers have not stayed on the sidelines, either.\u00a0<\/strong>2016 sustained progress as\u00a0states moved<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/sites\/default\/files\/content\/state_cpp_momentum_-_20160929.pdf\"> forward<\/a>\u00a0with commonsense efforts to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants. And even with promises to roll back critical clean air, climate, and clean energy progress coming out of Washington, D.C.,\u00a0states made clear after the election that they will not be slowed down by potential federal backsliding:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On December 7,\u00a0<strong>Illinois<\/strong>\u00a0enacted a\u00a0comprehensive new energy <a href=\"http:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/news\/house-approves-massive-energy-bill\/\">bill<\/a>\u00a0that will in part double the state\u2019s energy efficiency portfolio and allow for 4,300 megawatts of new solar and wind power while providing for continued operation of zero-emission nuclear facilities. These measures are expected to reduce the state\u2019s carbon emissions 56 percent by 2030.<\/li>\n<li>On December 15,\u00a0<strong>Michigan\u00a0<\/strong>lawmakers approved a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rtoinsider.com\/michigan-energy-bill-35641\/\">bill<\/a>\u00a0to increase the state\u2019s renewable portfolio standard to 15 percent by 2021, up from 10 percent. Republican Governor Rick Snyder touted the bill in a statement: \u201cWhat we\u2019re in is a huge transition in how we get our energy. We\u2019ve got a lot of aging coal plants that are beyond their useful life, and it\u2019s not worth investing in them anymore \u2026 We can transition to both natural gas and renewables and let the markets sort of define the balance between those two, so we\u2019re moving away from an old energy source [where] we had to import all of this coal.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Also in December,\u00a0<strong>Washington<\/strong>\u00a0Governor Jay Inslee proposed the state adopt a\u00a0first-of-its-kind<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/second-time-the-charm-washington-gov-inslee-proposes-new-25-carbon-tax-i\/432717\/\"> carbon tax<\/a>\u00a0of $25 per metric ton of carbon pollution. The proposal supplements the state\u2019s innovative\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecy.wa.gov\/programs\/air\/rules\/wac173442\/1510ov.html\">Clean Air Rule<\/a>, adopted in September, which caps carbon emissions from individual polluters.<\/li>\n<li>Nine states comprising the\u00a0<strong>Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative<\/strong>\u00a0are engaged in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rggi.org\/design\/2016-program-review\/rggi-meetings\">stakeholder process<\/a> designed to establish new, more protective, standards for climate pollution.<\/li>\n<li>In\u00a0<strong>Oregon<\/strong>, regulators are evaluating options for a\u00a0market-based<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/oregon-deq-to-study-cap-and-trade-program\/420905\/\"> mechanism<\/a>\u00a0that could link to the California-Quebec carbon market, releasing a\u00a0partial draft <a href=\"http:\/\/www.deq.state.or.us\/aq\/climate\/docs\/ghgMarketD.pdf\">report<\/a>\u00a0on November 21.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"simplePullQuote right\"><p>&#8220;What we\u2019re in is a huge transition in how we get our energy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Governors such as\u00a0<strong>Colorado\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0John Hickenlooper continue to display strong leadership and a keen understanding of the imperative to move to a low-carbon future. After the election, Hickenlooper said he\u00a0remains<a href=\"http:\/\/www.coloradoindependent.com\/162459\/hickenlooper-colorado-must-continue-on-its-own-path\"> committed<\/a>\u00a0to fulfilling the goals of the Clean Power Plan, no matter what happens to the rule.<\/li>\n<li>In\u00a0<strong>Pennsylvania<\/strong>, a spokesman for Governor Tom Wolf\u2019s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/pennsylvania\/2016\/11\/09\/trump-victory-seen-boosting-pennsylvanias-gas-and-coal-industries\/\">noted<\/a> that: \u201cPennsylvania\u2019s carbon footprint has been shrinking rapidly due to market based decisions being made in the state\u2019s electric generating sector \u2026 It is likely that this trend will continue.\u201d He added that the DEP \u201cwill continue to seek ways to continue addressing climate change.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>In\u00a0<strong>California,<\/strong>\u00a0Governor Jerry Brown\u00a0mounted a vigorous <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/politics-government\/capitol-alert\/article120928688.html\">defense<\/a>\u00a0of California\u2019s climate leadership and the role the state will continue to play in setting the stage for ongoing progress and defending the important progress of the last eight years. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the scientists, we\u2019ve got the lawyers and we\u2019re ready to fight. We\u2019re ready to defend,\u201d he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The momentum that power companies and states have generated towards achieving a clean energy future is powerful and encouraging.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Looking to 2017 and beyond, market <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/files\/2017\/01\/CPP-Combined-3.pdf\">trends<\/a> are expected to continue to help facilitate de-carbonization of the electric sector, while federal and state policies must continue to provide certainty about the pace and depth of emissions reductions needed to address the threat of climate change. These policies will help companies plan clean energy\u00a0investments in a way that maximizes benefits for consumers and facilitates optimal deployment of available resources.<\/p>\n<p>The Clean Power Plan remains crucial to achieving these goals. Any disruption in the Clean Power Plan\u2019s implementation could put long-overdue and readily achievable emission reductions at risk.<\/p>\n<p>As we ring in the New Year, EDF will keep working with a diverse set of stakeholders across the country \u2014 including many state officials and power companies \u2014 to defend these critical environmental safeguards. At the same time, we will work vigorously to ensure that we achieve the reductions in carbon pollution envisioned by the program.<\/p>\n<p><em>This post originally appeared on our <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/01\/04\/2016-wrap-up-states-and-power-companies-led-the-way-to-cut-carbon\/\">Climate 411<\/a> blog.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Pam Kiely, senior director, Regulatory Strategy, and co-authored by Charlie Jiang, EDF associate 2016 was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector.\u00a0Renewable energy sources\u00a0provided 16.9 percent of the country\u2019s electricity in the first half of 2016, up from 13.7 percent for all of 2015. The country\u2019s\u00a0first offshore wind farm\u00a0opened off the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42996],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-14680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-smart-power"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>States, Power Companies Lead in Cutting Carbon; Election Not Slowing Expected 2017 Progress - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2017\/01\/10\/states-power-companies-lead-in-cutting-carbon-election-not-slowing-expected-2017-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"States, Power Companies Lead in Cutting Carbon; Election Not Slowing Expected 2017 Progress - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Pam Kiely, senior director, Regulatory Strategy, and co-authored by Charlie Jiang, EDF associate 2016 was a big year for progress in the U.S. power sector.\u00a0Renewable energy sources\u00a0provided 16.9 percent of the country\u2019s electricity in the first half of 2016, up from 13.7 percent for all of 2015. 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