WASHINGTON (May 11, 2023) — Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President Tom Kuhn today issued the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed regulations for carbon emissions from fossil-based power plants.
“For the third time in nine years, EPA is proposing to limit carbon emissions from power plants using Clean Air Act section 111. Just as we do with any rulemaking, we will assess EPA’s proposed new regulations through the lens of whether they align with our priorities and support our ability to provide customers with the reliable clean energy they need at an affordable cost.
“While there have been many legal and technical ups and downs throughout this regulatory process, there also has been one constant—EEI’s member electric companies have remained focused on getting the energy they provide as clean as they can as fast as they can without compromising customer reliability and affordability. And, thanks to our members’ clean energy leadership, carbon emissions from the U.S. power sector are now as low as they were in 1984, while electricity use has climbed 73 percent since then.
“Over the past 18 months, we have engaged constructively with EPA and outlined several important priorities that are consistent with the ongoing clean energy transition that our member companies are leading.
“We focused our engagement on three key areas. 1) Alignment of compliance deadlines with existing transition plans. 2) Recognition of the critical role existing and new natural gas generation plays—and will continue to play—in integrating more renewable energy and maintaining reliability. 3) Inclusion of a range of compliance flexibilities and the industry’s commitment to developing and deploying critical clean energy technologies, including hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, when they are commercially available at scale and cost.
“We value that EPA has constructively engaged with EEI and our member companies over the past 18 months, and we look forward to continuing to work with Administrator Regan and his team throughout the rulemaking process.”
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