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In addition to reducing carbon emission by 32 percent below 2005 levels, the plan will grow and strength the U.S. economy by driving innovation and investment in renewable energy. According to McCarthy, the plan will “keep energy affordable and reliable.”
“We’re now generating 3 times as much wind and 20 times as much solar as we did in 2008.” —@POTUS #CleanPowerPlan pic.twitter.com/Ba9pWNDFVf
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 3, 2015
“The Clean Power Plan is an opportunity for workers, entrepreneurs and businesses to prosper as we go above and beyond the goals set by this plan,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. “It is a signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. is serious about acting on climate disruption and ready to lead the way toward a strong international climate agreement in Paris later this year.”
But not all environmental groups were cheering.
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said, “The Obama Administration has long touted a commitment to implementing meaningful regulation to address the climate crisis. Unfortunately, this plan fails that commitment. “The goal is too weak, and the tools aren’t fit for the job. Relying on inherently flawed programs like cap-and-trade instead of serious federal regulation is a recipe for failure. His Clean Power Plan is nothing more than a market-based compromise with polluting industries. With this plan, we can expect more fossil fuel development, more dangerous fracking and only a symbolic investment in truly clean, renewable energy.”
May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, agrees the plan needs to be stronger. “This is the most significant action yet from the Obama administration, but it’s still not enough to secure his climate legacy. Cutting coal emissions is low hanging fruit, the next challenge will be standing up to Big Oil,” she said.
“We’ll be pushing the administration to build on this announcement and take the additional steps necessary to protect our climate, like rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, ending fracking and preventing Arctic and offshore drilling. As the Clean Power Plan shows, tackling climate change helps save lives, cut pollution and create jobs. Thanks to the work of the millions of people involved in the climate movement, momentum is now clearly on our side.”
Where do presidential candidates stand on the Clean Power Plan?
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton was the first 2016 candidate to respond to President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Clinton called the plan “a significant step forward in meeting the urgent threat of climate change.”