Politics

Trump Administration Releases Alternative To Obama-era Emissions Plan

The Trump administration wants to give states more say in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Trump Administration Releases Alternative To Obama-era Emissions Plan
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The Trump administration wants to give states the broad power to decide how they're going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

The EPA announced its new proposal called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule Tuesday. It would replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which required states to reduce their carbon emissions. 

Legal challenges kept the Clean Power Plan from going into effect. But the Obama administration said if the plan were to be fully implemented, power plant emissions in 2030 would be down 32 percent from 2005 levels. 

Now, the EPA claims its new proposal could cut down emissions even further — estimating reductions as much as 34 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. 

The public will now have 60 days to comment on the rule before it can be finalized.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN