Los Angeles, CA \u2013 (September 23, 2015) \u2013 It is now apparent that the Obama Administration\u2019s Clean Power Plan aims to significantly reduce the amount of power generated by coal. It\u2019s a game changer for utilities, mining companies and equipment suppliers. And, it\u2019s another spotlight moment for renewables but in the long run, the real champion will be natural gas.<\/p>\n
The final CPP rules issued by the EPA on Aug. 3 reflect important revisions from those proposed in 2014, including some that were detrimental to the survival of the power industry. But the fact remains that the federal government is focused on increasing power from sources like wind and solar while cutting power from coal.<\/p>\n
What is not fully considered by this new federal focus is the importance of natural gas in the overall equation; that\u2019s where the plan misses the mark. Natural gas remains the only viable choice to reach the plan\u2019s goals. CPP seeks to reduce CO2 emissions in 2030 by one-third from 2005 levels. States have up to three years to submit their own reduction plans.<\/p>\n
As states develop compliance plans, they are \u201cdependent on natural gas combined cycle turbines to pick up the slack when the sun doesn\u2019t shine and the wind doesn\u2019t blow,\u201d says America\u2019s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The White House\u2019s plan perpetuates a false choice between renewables and natural gas, says ANGA. The plan is \u201cdisingenuous\u201d and ignores market realities for gas to provide much of the nation\u2019s power while reducing emissions.<\/p>\n The industry trade group also notes the irony in the Energy Information Administration\u2019s routine release of power generation data for April 2015, one day after the release of Obama\u2019s plan. In that month, according to the EIA<\/a>, the US generated more electricity from natural gas than any other fuel source, including coal. That was the same month the country emitted less CO2 into the atmosphere than at any time since 1988.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s no coincidence,\u201d observes ANGA. And, as the most cost-effective and flexible option for power generation, natural gas \u201cwill balance the dual mandates of cleaner air and healthy economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Supporters of renewables were quick to underscore the ways the Obama plan discourages a \u201crush to natural gas,\u201d due to its risks to consumers, public health and the climate. A report by one group<\/a> notes the plan incentivizes \u201czero-carbon energy sources,\u201d requires state compliance plans to meet a renewables target, limits gas combined cycle power to 22 percent above 2012 levels, and closes a loophole for new source gas plants.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, to illustrate the significant leverage given coal in the economy and power grid, 16 states filed protests with the EPA seeking to delay the rule while legal challenges are sorted out.<\/p>\n In the meantime, natural gas will play a pivotal role in reliably powering the economy and reducing emissions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president\u2019s plan to reduce power plant emissions from higher-carbon fuels would greatly benefit from a clear emphasis on a clean, abundant, efficient fuel like natural gas,\u201d said Nicholas Nadjarian, chief executive officer at Industrial Motor Power Corp<\/a>, a leading power provider to O&G. \u201cWe can expect a steady increase in natural gas use in the power sector and are prepared to provide targeted solutions for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Los Angeles, CA \u2013 (September 23, 2015) \u2013 It is now apparent that the Obama Administration\u2019s Clean Power Plan aims to significantly reduce the amount of power generated by coal. It\u2019s a game changer for utilities, mining companies and equipment suppliers. And, it\u2019s another spotlight moment for renewables but in the long run, the real… Continue Reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.impcorporation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}