HPCA's Director Responds to EPA Proposal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the direction of President Barack Obama, released a landmark rule on June 2, 2014 that aims to reduce carbon emissions from the electric-power sector by 30 percent, nationwide, below 2005 levels by 2030. The "Clean Power Plan" will have the added benefit of reducing air pollution that is responsible for various health problems. Among other approaches to reducing emissions, the rule will promote energy efficiency, in turn reducing electricity demand. The EPA's web site for the Clean Power Plan is here.

Robert Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements, was interviewed by HKS about the new rule in this article. For in-depth analysis, read Professor Stavins' blog post and op-ed in the New York Times. He was also quoted in numerous press reports including: NPR (June 3), U.S. News & World Report (June 3), the New York Times (June 2), MIT Technology Review (June 2), the Sydney Morning Herald (June 2), the Hill (June 2), and Fortune (June 5). Another article quoting Professor Stavins, in the New York Times, compares and contrasts the EPA rule and President Obama's health care program, with regard to the flexibility that both offer the states in achieving the objectives of the respective programs.