US power plants account for a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions.
(Photo: AP)
Washington The US government wants to significantly reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions from the domestic energy industry. Corresponding plans are to be presented by the Environmental Protection Agency EPA on Thursday. The goal is to reach net-zero emissions from the energy sector by 2035, said White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi.
The proposal aims to limit the amount of carbon dioxide that power plants are allowed to emit into the atmosphere. Power plants are responsible for more than a quarter of all US emissions. That would force the industry to install or shut down billions of dollars of new equipment over a period of years.
Environmental groups and scientists have long argued that such steps are essential to curbing global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the plan would reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and new gas-fired power plants by 617 million tons between 2028 and 2042. That corresponds to the annual emissions of around 137 million passenger cars.
More: Developed countries are not completely abandoning coal and natural gas