Report: Carbon Rule Would Double Shutdowns of Coal Plants

Timothy Cama reports: "Shutdowns of coal-fired power plants would more than double under the Obama administration’s landmark climate rule, a federal analysis found."

"The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) carbon limits for power plants are projected to cause 90 gigawatts of coal plant capacity to retire by 2040 so that states can comply, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected Friday." That's compared to the 40 gigawatts of coal-generated capacity that would shut down if the industry were left to its own devices.

It's expected that the report's findings are going to provide opponents of the plan ammunition arguing in favor of coal jobs and lower electricity costs.

The report also found news on the flipside of the loss of coal plants:

• "It predicted that carbon emissions from the power sector in 2030 would be 29 percent to 36 percent below 2005 levels, in line with the EPA’s coal of a 30 percent cut."
• "Renewable energy capacity under the rule would grow 160 percent above what it would otherwise be by 2040, at 174 gigawatts."