McCabe: the Key of Coal Power Pollution Control is to Define Carbon Dioxide As a Pollutant

Original text link: http://news.315.com.cn/20151209/100612880.html

As one of the U.S. President Barack Obama’s "political legacies", "Clean Power Plan" effective about two weeks later (December 22) is a new center of the United States’ air pollution control policy.

The White House said that by 2030, the plan would be able to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by 32%, the early death due to power plant emissions by 90%, and the pollutants leading to haze and soot, compared with 2015.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led this bill aiming to promote replacement of the nationwide old coal power plants and pollution control, as they are major emitters of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

In 2009, EPA defined the greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide as “pollutants” threatening to "public health", which has been supported by the United States Supreme Court for multiple times. The White House thereby obtained legal basis for regulating coal power and limiting carbon dioxide emissions, not just administrative orders.

On December 7, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter interviewed Assistant (Acting) Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe at the venue of the United Nation Conference on Climate Change in Paris, who is in charge of atmosphere and climate change issues.

McCabe told the reporter that "Clean Power Plan" is not an energy plan, but a plan to prevent pollution. The formal compliance period of the power plants will begin in 2022, but there are also relevant measures encouraging some states to take earlier actions. "Everyone has headed towards this goal, so the goal (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by power plants) of 2030 is achievable".

McCabe praised the Chinese government for setting new goals on December 2 that are also on control of coal power pollutant emissions At present, China has not yet officially included carbon dioxide onto the list of air pollutants.

"Six years ago, EPA scientists confirmed that high-density greenhouse gases can be a threat to public health and well-being. That is to say, greenhouse gases do not just 'may ', but ‘must’ be regulated by the “Clean Air Act", a key step forward from a legal and scientific perspective".

"Clean Power Plan" is convinced to be able to be successfully implemented

The "21st Century": Which states will begin to implement "Clean Power Plan" prior to 2022?

McCabe: Some states have started to move, such as California and Washington. "Clean Power Plan" exhibits a very good momentum. We have heard about positive messages from across the country, and the feedback from power plants is also very positive, because they agree with the certainty brought by this legislation, and like the resulted new investment opportunities. For the power plants still using the equipment of 1940s and 1950s, it is their chance to invest. Everyone therefore become very excited.

The "21st Century": Will the plan develop compliance measures adapted to different energy structure in each state?

McCabe: Yes. This is also the "selling point" of the whole plan, establishing a positive relationship between the federal and state governments. The federal government has set environmental standards, and then let the state governments to develop the plan according to their needs. Allowing the state governments to carry out cross-state and cross-region cooperation gives more (compliance) flexibility. Some states are very dependent on a certain kind of energy, each of which has the ability in compliance; meanwhile, the direction is the same for all states, so each state is in its own position to decide how to achieve the goals.

The "21st Century": However, both houses of Congress have opponent signal and momentum. Are you sure this plan will be implemented after two weeks as scheduled?

McCabe: It is crucial that the "Clean Power Plan" is based on the "Clean Air Act". We need decades to reduce emissions and air pollution.

This is not an energy plan, but a plan to (prevent) pollution. We have used standard tools and data, which is a very transparent process. Everyone can get involved, and everyone did so. For the "Clean Power Plan," we have received 1.3 million comments, made many years of research, and held hundreds of meetings.

For those opposing the plan, they need to understand this is a very standard operation, especially we have regulated successfully power plants for many times in the past under the "Clean Air Act". So we are very confident that the "Clean Power Plan" can be successfully implemented.

Greenhouse gases must be regulated by law

The "21st Century": how to ensure the transparency of the plan? If this climate change conference reaches high-requirement transparency provisions, then the United States also needs to accept examination.

McCabe: There have been many transparency provisions in our own supervision. Power companies need to report to the EPA on their carbon dioxide emissions, and these data are open to the public; the other part is the objective and operation process transparency at state level. Under the UNFCCC, we also have bi-annual reports (emissions). Meanwhile, we help some states to improve their (regarding transparency) capacity building.

The compliance of "Clean Power Plan" starts from 2022. We will look at the annual emissions. At the state level, 2022 – 2024 is the first compliance period, followed by the second compliance period from 2025 to 2027 (2028--2030 is the third). Each state will submit a detailed report at the end of each compliance period. We believe that a period of three years is reasonable.

The "21st Century": The Chinese Government decided on December 2 that, before 2020, ultra-low-emission and energy saving will be fully implemented on coal-fired generator sets, and the power industry shall reduce emissions of major pollutants by about 60%. But now in China's official definition, the main pollutants do not include carbon dioxide.

McCabe: It depends on how you reduce carbon dioxide emissions through abatement. If you move to new energies from fossil fuels, even if you only take measures against sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced. So this is a good thing.

The "21st Century": In 2009, the United States defined carbon dioxide as air pollutant. What benefits has it brought to the EPA in policy and regulation?

McCabe: Six years ago, EPA scientists confirmed that high-density greenhouse gases can be a threat to public health and well-being. That is to say, greenhouse gases do not just 'may ', but ‘must’ be regulated by the “Clean Air Act", a key step forward from a legal and scientific perspective.

This conclusion from EPA has been confirmed by the Federal Supreme Court for more than once. So we have no turning back. The U.S. law requires that we take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is exactly the "Clean Power Act" is doing.