Association News

The Biden administration released a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by U.S. power plants in an effort to combat climate change. The National Manufacturers Association was among several groups critical of the proposal. 

“Manufacturing in America is cleaner and more sustainable than ever, and the power generation sector has been making historic strides in bringing zero-emissions sources online. Even as that trend continues, this proposed regulation will prove unfeasible,” said NAM Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Brandon Farris.

Under the Biden plan, coal and new natural gas power plants would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of total carbon dioxide through 2042, which would be equivalent to reducing the annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, roughly half the cars in the United States. Through 2042, EPA estimates the net climate and health benefits of the standards on new gas and existing coal-fired power plants would be up to $85 billion, a release from the EPA said.

“With nearly 60 percent of our nation’s energy generated from natural gas and coal, this will either require deployment of still nascent technologies at an impractical pace or force those plants to shut down entirely. The U.S. cannot afford to shut down more than half of our power generation and grind our economy to a halt,” Farris said.