Page 6 - aruba-today-20180823

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 23 augusT 2018
U.S. plan for coal power deregulation could cause more deaths

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and cannot directly link a sin-
SETH BORENSTEIN gle weather event to cli-
Associated Press mate change, but that it
WASHINGTON (AP) — The is responsible for more in-
Trump administration on tense and more frequent
Tuesday moved to prop extreme events such as
up the declining coal in- storms, droughts, floods
dustry with an overhaul of and wildfires.
Obama-era pollution rules, The new proposal establish-
acknowledging that the in- es guidelines for states to
creased emissions from ag- use when developing any
ing coal-fired plants could plans to limit greenhouse
kill hundreds more people gas emissions from power
annually and cost the plants. Critics say the new
country billions of dollars. plan would allow utilities
The proposal broadly in- to run older, dirtier power
creases the authority given plants more often and ex-
to states to decide how tend their operating life.
and how much to regulate Trump has already vowed
existing coal power plants. to pull the U.S. out of the
The EPA said its Affordable Paris climate agreement
Clean Energy rule "empow- as he pushes to revive the
ers states, promotes energy coal industry.
independence and fa- Obama's plan was de-
cilitates economic growth signed to cut U.S. carbon
and job creation." dioxide emissions to 32
"We are putting our great percent below 2005 levels
coal miners back to work," In this July 27, 2018 photo, the Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant is silhouetted against the by 2030. The rule dictated
President Donald Trump morning sun in Glenrock, Wyo. specific emission targets
crowed during a rally Tues- Associated Press for states and gave officials
day night in West Virginia. broad latitude to decide
"We want a clean environ- of premature coal-plant re- tacks compared with the expect legal challenges, how to achieve reductions.
ment. ... I want clean air. I tirements. Obama plan. arguing the Trump admin- The Supreme Court put the
want crystal clean water But the Natural Resources When health costs from air istration is abdicating its plan on hold in 2016 follow-
and we've got it. We've Defense Council called pollution — soot and smog responsibilities under the ing a legal challenge by
got the cleanest country Trump's proposal the "Dirty killing people, increased Clean Air Act as set by industry and coal-friendly
in the planet right now," Power Plan." asthma and heart attacks Congress and the courts. states, an order that re-
Trump said. "But I'm getting Gina McCarthy, EPA ad- — are factored in, the re- Bill Wehrum, head of the mains in effect.
rid of some of these ridicu- ministrator when the peal of the coal power EPA's air office, told report- Even so, the Obama plan
lous rules and regulations, Obama plan was devel- plan would cost the coun- ers that the administration has been a factor in the
which are killing our com- oped, said the proposed try $1.4 billion to $3.9 billion rejects any suggestion the wave of retirements of
panies ... and our jobs." changes show the Trump annually, according to the agency has a broad legal coal-fired plants, which
Acting EPA administrator administration emphasizing agency. duty to combat climate also are being squeezed
Andrew Wheeler told re- "coal at all costs." "It shows that removing the change through regulation by lower costs for natural
porters, "Today we are ful- The EPA's 289-page regu- Clean Power Plan would be of power grids or promotion gas and renewable power
filling the president's agen- latory analysis acknowl- detrimental to health," said of cleaner energy. and state mandates that
da." edged that every possible University of North Carolina "An important part of what promote energy conserva-
The proposal dismantles scenario under its proposal environmental engineering we're doing here is get- tion.
President Barack Obama's projects "small increases" professor Jason West, who ting us back into our lane," Trump has vowed to end
2015 Clean Power Plan, in climate-changing emis- went through the agency's Wehrum said. what Republicans call a
one of his administration's sions and some pollutants, regulatory analysis with The The EPA called the Obama- "war on coal" waged by
legacy efforts against cli- compared to the Obama Associated Press. era regulations on coal Obama.q
mate change. The Obama plan. "The cost to society in in- power plants "overly pre-
rules, which have been EPA officials said they creases of death and other scriptive and burdensome."
halted by court challenges, could give no firm projec- outcomes from air pollution Combined with the EPA's
would have increased fed- tions for the health effects are greater than the cost to proposal earlier this month
eral regulation of emissions of their plan because that industry from removing the to ease gas-mileage re-
from the nation's electrical will depend on how states Clean Power Plan," West quirements for vehicles,
grid and broadly promoted regulate power plants with- said. the move may actually
cleaner energy, including in their borders. The projection of increased increase the country's cli-
natural gas and solar and But models provided by the deaths and costs marks mate-changing emissions,
wind power. agency estimate that un- "what's extraordinary about according to some former
Michelle Bloodworth, presi- der the Trump plan, 300 to this proposal," said Rich- top EPA officials, environ-
dent of the American Co- 1,500 more people would ard Revesz, dean emeritus mental groups and other
alition for Clean Coal Elec- die prematurely each year at the New York Univer- opponents.
tricity, a trade group that by 2030, compared to the sity School of Law. "To their Tuesday's move opens a
represents coal produc- Obama plan. credit, they tell us directly, public-comment period on
ers, called the new rule a The models for the Trump 'We are doing something the proposal before any
marked departure from plan also project tens of to cause great harm to the final approval by the presi-
the "gross overreach" of the thousands of additional American people.'" dent.
Obama administration and major asthma attacks and Environmentalists and oth- Scientists say that with-
said it should prevent a host hundreds more heart at- er opponents said they out extensive study, they