Full Title: Meeting—and Exceeding—the Clean Power Plan in Virginia
Author(s): Jeremy Richardson, Alison Bailie, and Rachel Cleetus
Publisher(s): Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
Publication Date: January 1, 2016
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
The Clean Power Plan (CPP), finalized in August 2015, sets the nation’s first-ever limit on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions—the primary contributor to global warming—from power plants (see Box 1). Nationwide, Virginia has one of the more moderate CPP state targets, with a goal of reducing emissions by 7.9 million tons,1 or approximately 22 percent below 2012 levels as calculated by the EPA2 (OAR 2015a). The Commonwealth is well-positioned to meet—and even exceed—this goal because of its existing lower-carbon generating fleet and small, but growing, investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. New analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows that a combination of strong renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and a robust carbon emissions–trading program would provide a cost-effective pathway for the Commonwealth to cut carbon emissions, charting a course toward a clean energy future that delivers significant health and economic benefits for all Virginians.