EPA Clean Power Plan facing mixed reactions from businesses, lawmakers

November 25th, 2014 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to reduce domestic dependence on fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions is facing a range of reactions from both businesses and lawmakers. Some large companies are standing behind the drive to cut emissions of greenhouse gases along the lines laid out by the EPA's plan, while others are less positive about such efforts. There have been a variety of reactions from lawmakers on the state and federal levels as well. Those opinions run the gamut from full support to issues with specific components of the measure and completely negative opinions.

For states
The Clean Power Plan sets goals on a state-by-state basis. While that approach allowed the EPA to tailor benchmarks to the realities of industrial operation and power generation in each state, some politicians feel that the regulatory agency didn't take all of the important, unique factors of their states into account. The Associated Press reported on a joint Congressional committee meeting where national representatives from Virginia said the EPA's plan for that state doesn't put enough emphasis on the clean generation of nuclear power currently happening there. The AP pointed out that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who supports the bill as a whole, expressed similar reservations earlier in the week. Discussions in other states such as Ohio have been more positive, according to Columbus Business First. A report showed the state could meet clean power generation standards easily by following a current plan for closing old plants and opening new ones.

For businesses
Companies that have taken a proactive position in regard to power use and generation have come out in favor of the EPA plan, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Large companies including IKEA and The North Face, as well as real estate giant JLL, have all made individual commitments to using more clean energy sources and phasing out the use of processes that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Other organizations, such as Starbucks, have highlighted the impact that climate change has had on their business profitability.

Businesses in all industries will be impacted, directly or indirectly, by the EPA's Clean Power Plan. Companies that have responsibilities related to environmental compliance should have systems in place to manage those obligations.