Implementing EPA’s Clean Power Plan in Oregon
This webpage covers DEQ’s process to develop an Oregon plan for implementing the EPA’s requirement to reduce carbon pollution at coal and natural gas power plants.
DEQ’s process to implement the Clean Power Plan in Oregon is on hold. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered EPA to halt enforcement of the federal rule while it is reviewed by a lower court. DEQ will reinitiate Oregon’s process once there is more clarity on the status of the federal rule.
Sign up for email updates on the Clean Power Plan.
EPA’s proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan
EPA is proposing to repeal the Clean Power Plan and replace it with the “Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule.
DEQ, in cooperation with staff at the Oregon Department of Energy, the Public Utility Commission and the Oregon Health Authority submitted a comment letter to EPA on their proposed repeal. This comment letter is available here:
Background and prior work on the Clean Power Plan
On June 2, 2014 U.S. EPA issued a proposal known as the Clean Power Plan to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel power plants. Power
plants are the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S., accounting for
roughly one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions. EPA estimates that
the proposed Clean Power Plan would cut national carbon pollution from power
plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. Smog and soot pollution from power plants
are also expected to be reduced by 25 percent.
On August 3, 2015 the EPA finalized the Clean Power Plan. The final rule
includes state specific CO2 reduction targets based on the composition of
natural gas and coal plants within each state. The rule also provides states
with broad flexibility to determine the preferred mechanisms for reducing CO2
emissions from these facilities.
An important part of our early planning is to determine the type of emission
standard that will work best for Oregon. EPA gives states the option to choose
from two types of emission targets:
- Emission rate: This would apply an emission rate standard at each coal and
natural gas power plant that is expressed as pounds of CO2 emitted per megawatt
hour (MWh) of electricity generated at the facility.
- Mass cap: this would establish an overall limit to the total CO2 emissions
from all existing coal and natural gas power plants within the state.
To help inform our assessment of this important decision, we issued a
document outlining conceptual compliance scenarios with different ways that an
emission rate or a mass cap could be implemented in Oregon.
DEQ issued the two documents linked above for comments by stakeholders in
December 2015. Following is a summary of the comments received by stakeholders
sent in January 2016.