With hundreds of thousands sickened and harmful emissions damaging our environment, it was clear that action needed to be taken to protect ourselves and our planet. Under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a Clean Power Plan on June 2, 2014. This plan will have many benefits for us and future generations. On top of being beneficial, the plan is also affordable and reliable. By 2030, this plan will help to reduce carbon pollution by about 30%. That’s about 730 million metric tonnes of carbon pollution.
The largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States is power plants. These power plants are contributing to one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emission. The Clean Power Plan is aiming to reduce this number by covering 1,000 fossil fuel fired power plants containing 3,000 units. To ensure success, the EPA is working with stakeholders and giving states flexibility. Because different states have different needs, states can choose how they will meet their new goals. While carbon emissions will be reduced, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and PM 2.5 levels will also be reduced.
Many people, especially children and the elderly, are sickened and even die due to the harmful pollution that contributes to soot and smog. By cutting this pollution by about 25%, about 2,700-6,600 deaths, 140,000-150,000 asthma attacks, 340-3,300 heart attacks, 2,700-2,800 hospital admissions and 470-000-490,000 missed school and work days missed will be avoided. Clearly, this will save millions of dollars. It is estimated that with every dollar invested in this plan, American families will see about $7 in health benefits.
When the Clean Power Plan is fully implemented in 2030, everyone will see and feel the benefits in its entirety. Children and vulnerable Americans will be protected from pollution related health issues, costly climate and weather disasters will eventually be reduced, electricity bills will be about 8% lower than they would have been, and most importantly the United States and our businesses will be at the front of the global movement to produce and consume energy sustainably and reliably.
In your blog you have a lot of information and numbers. The constant repetitive use of numbers make it hard to focus on the topic being discussed. You gave a lot of god information about the plan but did not talk about Obama in it. If you researched other than the website Prof. Shatz gave us you would come to find out that the Clean Power Plan won’t take action till late 2017 at the end of Obama’s presidency (just in time for the next president to throw it away). It is also a risky move by Obama. He is taking money out of government spending while we are in trillions of debt already. Shed light on both sides of the argument.
I disagree with hpeavey12 I think the numbers actually help explain a lot more then normal text can do and also there is no way to if the next president will throw this plan out especially if it is working. Also while Obama is taking money out of government the savings from cutting back on expensive power sources will help also pay off debt.