Obama and the EPA have got a lot going for them in their Clean Power Plan. The agency has estimated many things that will come with this bill. Lets cover some of their predictions and expectations.

The first bold statement they come out and say is that this bill will cut carbon pollution from the power sector by 30 percent by 2030. Another idea they propose which will come as a side effect is that electricity bills will drop by 8 percent by 2030, due to increased efficiency. It is clear from their analysis of the bill on their website they are trying to cut down on emissions, but keep the economy growing. This bill probably uses the smartest way to accomplish both, increasing efficiency, and at the same time, places much of the power and responsibility on individual states over the federal government.

Their idea of having states come up with their own plans and ways to cut their carbon emissions allows for states to handle their own matters appropriately. States that relies more on nuclear power, such as Mississippi or New Jersey, may not have to take as drastic measures as coal heavy states like Wyoming or West Virginia. Perhaps appropriate actions in states that use mostly nuclear power for electricity would be working on more efficiently predicting the amount of electricity to produce as to not waste as much, while heavy coal users should look into ways to more efficiently burn and maybe even re-burn coal to reduce emissions. The fact that this bill leaves the power to the states may also be a downside as well.

While the EPA is expecting and pursuing the goals mentioned above, the leniency of what states will do could affect their estimates. The most curious thing should be where the numbers they came up with actually came from. How exactly is the entire country going to decrease electricity prices or reduce carbon emissions if every state isn’t doing the same thing? Of course each state is responsible for different amounts of carbon, but so much freedom seems like the estimations are more of a sugar-free lollipop they are trying to entice us with to get us on board, only to be disappointed when the results aren’t so sweet.
While the estimations would be great, the bill needs to be more clear as to where the results come from, what they require of the states to gain more popularity from educated people. They need to publish the numbers, and let people check their work and join the cause to reduce climate change, rather than give promises that seem blind to try to gain popularity among the uneducated public.