April 25 (UPI) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced a slate of new final new rules that will crack down on pollution released by power plants.
The new rules regulate gas emissions for existing coal and gas plants, require new technologies, place new restrictions on the disposal of toxic waste and limit the release of mercury and other contaminants into groundwater.
“By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, the EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan, said in a statement.
Ali Zaidi, the White House’s national climate adviser, said the United States is projected to build more new electric generation capacity in the next two decades and 96% will be clean energy.
“America is now a magnet for private investment, with hundreds of billions of dollars committed and 270,000 new clean energy jobs created,” Zaidi said. “This is how we win the future, by harnessing new technologies to grow our economy, deliver environmental justice and save the planet for future generations.”
The EPA said it conducted a regulatory impact analysis for each rule that showed that the suite of standards would deliver billions of dollars in net benefits.
The EPA also said it performed a sensitivity analysis that explored the combined effect on the power sector of the carbon pollution, toxins and water rules, as well as EPA’s recent rules for the transportation sector.