What is the Clean Power Plan?

The Clean Power Plan is a set of regulations made by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act. It was established to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants across the country. In California specifically, the Clean Power Plan is designed to reduce air pollution from power plants, and to reduce the impacts of climate change. The plan sets a series of goals for California power plants, mainly to transition away from higher-emitting sources and to increase energy efficiency. The plan also requires electric utilities to work together to procure energy from a lower-carbon energy mix. This includes renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, as well as low carbon-emitting sources such as natural gas. To meet the Clean Power Plan’s goals, California has established programs such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires electricity retailers to provide a certain amount of their electricity from renewable sources. Additionally, California has established the Energy Efficiency Resource Standard which requires utilities to invest in demand-side resources that reduce energy use in customers’ homes and businesses. The goal of the Clean Power Plan is to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from electric utilities in California, which will help reduce the impacts of climate change both in California and around the world.

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