With the public comment period for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan drawing to a close, Georgia Tech faculty are stepping up to facilitate discussion and clarify misinformation about the components and requirements of the newly proposed statewide regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. A cornerstone of the national strategy to address climate change, the proposed plan is arguably one of the biggest regulatory events in decades.

The Strategic Energy Institute and the Georgia Tech Office of Government and Community Relations have collaborated on several informational sessions for elected officials on the proposed rule. Earlier this month, Georgia Tech faculty and staff, including the Strategic Energy Institute’s Senior Fellow Sam Shelton, were invited experts to testify before the Georgia House Energy Committee meeting on EPA’s Clean Power Plan that drew participation by more than 50 elected officials, community members, industry and advocacy representatives.

“Our goal was to share honest, timely, and useful information with key stakeholders as they work together to make important decisions about Georgia’s energy future,” said Casey Aultman, Georgia Tech Legislative Advocacy Manager.

The School of Public Policy also hosted an informational workshop in partnership with Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions to a  discuss the Southeast’s transitioning electricity sector and EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan to limit carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from existing power plants. The workshop drew a diverse group of nearly 100 participants including air and energy regulators, utilities and energy researchers, industrial energy consumers, think tanks, and environmental advocacy groups.

The Strategic Energy Institute’s Executive Director Tim Lieuwen said that engaging elected officials, industry, and the broader community in open dialogue on this important issue will be critical in establishing a practical path forward for Georgia when the State must submit its initial action plan to meet the proposed carbon reduction target in 2016.

“Since the EPA released its proposed regulations in June, states have been trying to determine what the Clean Power regulations mean for them and what methods will be most cost-effective and reasonable to reach the target goals,” said Lieuwen. “Bringing all the key stakeholders together in thoughtful debate on these issues will go a long way toward the development of a plan for Georgia that is technically-sound and economically-viable.”

Under Section 111(d) of the existing Clean Air Act ("CAA"), the EPA aims to set state-specific limits on CO2 emissions from existing fossil fuel plants to reduce the nation’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. The targets are based on each state’s energy use in 2012 and specify a maximum allowable rate of emissions per unit of electricity generated or sold (expressed in pounds of carbon dioxide per net megawatt hour). Collectively, the state targets are expected to achieve federal carbon emissions reductions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

The EPA calculated Georgia’s carbon emissions for 2012 at 1598 pounds per megawatt-hour. The calculated 2030 goal for the state is 834 pounds per megawatt-hour or a 48 percent reduction in carbon emissions.

Shelton said the variable statewide targets are one of the most misunderstood components of the proposed rule.

“The EPA suggests several mechanisms for complying with the proposed standards, such as increasing the efficiency of coal-fired power plants; switching to lower emitting natural gas power plants; increasing low/zero carbon generation through renewable resources and nuclear; and using electricity more efficiently,” said Shelton. “But they don’t require any of these measures. They want each state to determine how best to achieve their EPA emissions goals with the energy assets and initiatives already in place in their state.”

States have the option of developing individual action plans or collaborating with other states to create a multistate model. Marilyn Brown, a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy and Director of Georgia Tech’s Climate and Energy Policy Lab, led a discussion at the recent workshop with Duke University to weigh the tradeoffs between individual-and-multi-state approaches to carbon emission management.

“Regardless of the pathway Georgia chooses, the new regulations could precipitate significant changes on both the supply side at power plants and distributed generators and on the on demand side through end-use efficiency programs that could transform the state’s energy system, said Brown.”

The EPA is expected to publish the final rule in mid-2015. States will have until June 30, 2016 to submit their action plans but can request extensions until June 2017 for individual plans, or until June 2018 for multistate plans. In the interim, Georgia Tech will continue to host informational sessions to increase understanding of the proposed rule’s key components and will work with power plant owners, utilities, fuel providers, and energy services companies to evaluate the State’s alternatives for compliance and their associated costs.

For the latest news and events relating to the Clean Power Plan, visit energy.gatech.edu or http://cepl.gatech.edu/drupal/.

Related Resources:

Shaping the Southeast Energy Future: http://cepl.gatech.edu/drupal/node/84

EPA Releases New Carbon Emissions Targets for States: http://www.energy.gatech.edu/current-news

Georgia Coal-to-Solar Pivot Shows the Way on Climate Regs:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-07-01/georgia-coal-to-nuke-pivot-shows-the-way-on-climate-regs#p1