The proposal reveals how the US can cut down pollution from power plants that are responsible for 40% of the country’s carbon pollution.
It features a unique federal-state partnership and flexibility for owners of generating stations that will restrain costs and improve the health of US citizens.
The proposal demands the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its authority under the Clean Air Act to set standards for existing power stations.
This would result in cutting millions of tons of carbon pollution and saving thousands of lives, according to NRDC, an environmental advocacy group based in New York.
NRDC executive director Peter Lehner stated, "This year’s ravaging heat waves, drought, wildfires and Superstorm Sandy underscore why the nation must tackle head-on the biggest source of dangerous carbon pollution now."
NRDC climate and clean air programs director Dan Lashof noted that the EPA can work with states and power firms to cut down pollution to large extent.
Pollution can be reduced by setting system-wide standards and by giving states and power firms the freedom to choose the best cost-saving means of compliance, Lashof said.
