Sen. Carper Statement on EPA Proposal to Address Greenhouse Gases from New Power Plants

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to address greenhouse gases from new power plants. The Clean Air Act authorizes the EPA to develop technology based standards which apply to specific categories of stationary sources of harmful air pollution. These standards, referred to as the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), apply to coal and natural gas fired power plants built after today’s date:

“In Delaware, we can already see the dangerous effects of greenhouse gas emissions which are helping to create higher sea levels and destroying our coastal ecosystem. Unfortunately, Delaware – and other states with coastlines – can’t curb these emissions alone. Today’s proposal to ensure that new coal and natural gas power plants take into account their greenhouse gas emissions before they commence construction is a step in the right direction as we work to curb these harmful emissions. As the Environmental Protection Agency moves forward with this proposal, I encourage stakeholders to take advantage of the public comment period and work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop responsible and effective standards. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Clean Air, I will continue to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to reject delays and put in place strong, commonsense measures to slash these harmful pollutants.”

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