EPA Says Carbon Limits Won’t Impact Economy

June 26, 2014- EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in early June rolled out a new proposal to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, challenging critics who claim the new rules will hurt the economy.

The "clean power plan" proposal would require existing plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. While the administration has already imposed carbon limits on future power plants, this is the first time the limits will be applied to existing power plants -- the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S.

The proposal is generating opposition from some Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the proposed administrative rule change "a dagger in the heart of the American middle class."

McCarthy pointed out that, "critics claim your energy bills will skyrocket. Well, they're wrong."

Any small, short-term change in electricity prices will be within the normal scope of price variation, she said. And for every dollar invested in reducing smooth and smog, she said, families will see $7 in direct health benefits. By 2030, electricity bills will be on average 8 percent cheaper.

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