EPA Consulted Many to Develop Its Clean Power Plan
Friday, June 12, 2015
Wall Street Journal
Regarding Benjamin Zycher’s “The EPA’s ‘Clean Power’ Mess” (op-ed, June 8): The EPA’s Clean Power Plan proposal was informed by unprecedented engagement with states, utilities, stakeholders and the public. Because of this input and the Clean Air Act’s clear direction on the proper roles for the EPA and the states, the CPP is built on actions that states and utilities are already undertaking.
As we work to release the final CPP this summer, we are paying particular attention to ensuring that the flexibility the proposal promised is delivered to states and utilities. We are confident that it will because of our sustained outreach and the 4.3 million public comments we received.
Ensuring that the final CPP supports our electricity system’s ability to deliver reliable – and affordable – energy has been a top priority all along. That’s why we are working closely with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and welcome its suggestions.
The CPP represents a clear choice not to double down on the status quo of aging, inefficient and polluting infrastructure, as the author would have us do, but to capitalize on the innovations already under way in a dynamic, interconnected and rapidly advancing power sector for the benefit of our communities and our economy.
Over the past 45 years, the EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act has delivered deep cuts in harmful pollution from the power sector, preventing hundreds of thousands of illnesses and premature deaths, all while the economy has grown and American families have enjoyed affordable and reliable electricity. The CPP will show we can do it again.