Fixing Clean Power Plan sensible first step

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Washington loves controversy. And critics are undoubtedly clucking right now about the Trump administration’s plan to replace the Clean Power Plan (CPP) with a modified effort.

But the administration deserves credit for updating the plan, rather than scrapping it entirely.

For starters, the CPP envisioned by President Obama represented a massive overreach of the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act. Instead of addressing individual power plants, the Obama administration simply mandated wholesale changes to large swaths of America’s power grid.

It wasn’t just the EPA’s intrusion into the way individual states generate electricity. There was the incredibly high price tag. According to a study by Energy Ventures Analysis, the CPP would have forced the closure of enough generating capacity to power 24 million homes. This would have cost consumers an estimated $214 billion in additional electricity costs between 2022 and 2030, plus $64 billion for replacement infrastructure.

What the Trump administration is now attempting with its “Affordable Clean Energy” (ACE) rule is to focus on improvements for existing plants. This is a far more lawful approach, and it means the EPA will respect both the boundaries established under the Clean Air Act and the ability of individual states to securely generate electricity.

Essentially, the rule means the administration wants to innovate and upgrade existing facilities, rather than scrap them. Utilities have invested more than $127 billion in emissions technologies through 2018.

The CPP was a blunt hammer, and it aimed to eliminate coal-fired power in the U.S. But shutting down key parts of the nation’s power grid could have reduced the reliability and affordability of America’s electricity mix.

Coal currently generates 32 percent of the nation’s power supply. It’s part of a long-term effort to maintain a balanced energy mix.

Yes, the Trump administration has waded into a complex and controversial issue. But they’ve taken a prudent approach to help states generate electricity safely, reliably, and affordably.

More can be done to scale up up wind and solar power, for example.

Terry M. Jarrett is an attorney with Healy Law Offices, LLC in Jefferson City, Mo. He has served on both the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Missouri Public Service Commission.

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Terry Jarrett

Contributing columnist

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