Regulatory Actions
On this page
- President Obama's Climate Action Plan (June 2013)
- Developing carbon pollution standards for power plants under the Clean Air Act
- Regulatory actions for power plants
President Obama's Climate Action Plan
On June 25, 2013, President Obama announced a series of executive actions to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the U.S. for the impacts of climate change and lead international efforts to address global climate change. As part of the Climate Action Plan, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the EPA to work expeditiously to complete carbon pollution standards for the power sector. You can learn more about the President's Climate Action plan on the White House web site.
- President Obama's Efforts to Fight Climate Change
- Presidential Memorandum -- Power Sector Carbon Pollution Standards (June 2013)
- June 25, 2013, Remarks by the President on Climate Change
Developing carbon pollution standards for power plants under the Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act (CAA) lays out distinct approaches for new and existing sources under Section 111: a federal program for new sources and state programs for existing sources. EPA is using its authority under section 111 of the Act to issue standards, regulations or guidelines, as appropriate that address carbon pollution from new and existing power plants, including modifications of those plants.
In the CAA, Congress recognized that the opportunity to build emissions controls into the design of a stationary source is greater for new sources than existing sources, so it laid out different approaches to set the two types of standards:
- Section 111(b) creates a federal program to establish standards for new, modified and reconstructed stationary sources.
- Section 111(d) is a state based program for existing stationary sources where EPA establishes guidelines and the states then design programs to fit in those reductions to get the needed reductions.
Regulatory actions for power plants
EPA finalized two rules under CAA Section 111 to reduce carbon pollution - or CO2 - from power plants and proposed a federal plan for the Clean Power Plan:
- Final Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants
A state-based program under CAA Section 111(d) for existing sources with EPA establishing guidelines and states then designing programs that fit in those guidelines to get the needed reductions in CO2. - Proposed Federal Plan for the Clean Power Plan
A proposed federal plan that also serves as a model rule for those states that are developing their own Clean Power Plan state plans. - Final Carbon Pollution Standards for New, Modified and Reconstructed Power Plants
The federal program under CAA Section 111(b) that establishes standards of performance to address CO2 emissions from new, modified and reconstructed power plants.