WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President Tom Kuhn issued the following statement today in
advance of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) release
tomorrow of the final Clean Power Plan, which will establish
guidelines for states to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from
existing fossil fuel-based electric generation units under section
111(d) of the Clean Air Act.
"Without a doubt, EPA's final Clean Power Plan slated for
release tomorrow will be the most comprehensive, far-reaching
regulation ever promulgated by the federal government to impact the
electric power sector.
"Our industry already is making significant investments to
transition to a cleaner generating fleet and to enhance the
electric grid. This transition is exemplified by the 73 gigawatts
of publicly announced coal plant retirements or retrofits scheduled
to take place by 2022—enough to power 36 million households.
Overall, the industry's capital expenditures are projected to be
approximately $100 billion per year
through 2016, with a record-high $108.2
billion estimated for 2015.
"As we await release of the final Clean Power Plan, our primary
concern remains the overall timing and stringency of the near-term
reduction targets. The industry asked that EPA provide sufficient
time for states to craft compliance plans and then subject those
plans to critical reliability reviews, and we are hopeful the final
guidelines will address this issue.
"Until we review the final guidelines in their entirety, it is
difficult to assess whether they address the range of concerns we
have raised over the past year. Ultimately, it is imperative that
the final guidelines respect how the electric system works and
provide enough time and flexibility to make the necessary changes
to achieve carbon emission reductions.
"EEI and its member companies are committed to ensuring that
electricity continues to be reliable, affordable, and increasingly
clean. Throughout this rulemaking process, we have worked on a good
faith basis to improve the final guidelines in order to minimize
the costs to customers and to protect the reliability of the
system."
EEI is the association that represents all U.S.
investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity
for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia, and directly
employ more than 500,000 workers. EEI has 70 international electric
companies as Affiliate Members, and 270 industry suppliers and
related organizations as Associate Members.
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SOURCE Edison Electric Institute