For Some States, New Emissions Rules Will Force A Power Shift

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Publish Date:
August 4, 2015
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NPR
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Summary

Professor Michael Wara was interviewed during an NPR segment following the announcement of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.

Almost as soon as President Obama’s new plan to limit carbon emissions was unveiled, opponents were lining up to oppose it. The new rules would require states to lower their carbon emissions by nearly a third over the next decade and a half.

The rules will deal a big blow to some energy sectors — especially coal. But there are also industries that will benefit from the plan.

Michael Wara, associate professor of law at Stanford University, says a lot of states will probably line up to contest the rules in court. But he also notes that a lot of others will support them.

“There are a lot of states that have state climate policies that face higher electricity costs in part because of that and want to see a more level playing field,” Wara says.

Whether the new regulations will survive the court challenges is an open question. Wara says the administration is invoking part of the Clean Air Act that allows it to regulate air pollution, but he says critics are likely to challenge the use of the law as overly broad. And it’s not clear how the courts will decide.

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