Trump's clean energy plan lowers costs for all Americans: EPA's Andrew Wheeler
The Trump Administration is dismantling the Obama-era Clean Power Plan which restricts greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled Tuesday the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE), giving states broad authority to determine how to restrict their own emissions. The plan also lets states relax pollution rules for power plants that require upgrades.
“What we’re doing is moving forward in a measured approach to reduce CO2 in the long-term and provide cheaper electricity for all Americans,” Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told FOX Business’ Liz Claman on Tuesday.
The EPA estimates the new plan will save $400 million in compliance cost and will reduce CO2 emissions by 1.5 percent by 2030. The reduction of CO2 emissions is comparable to taking 5.3 million cars off the road.
Wheeler said the EPA is allowing the free market and states to determine which energy source is best, in contrast to Obama’s EPA which, he says, “picked winners and losers.”
“The Obama EPA was really engaged in social engineering, which is not the roll of the U.S. EPA,” Wheeler said on “Countdown to the Closing Bell.”
The White House said the ACE Rule promotes American energy dominance while ensuring environmental protections are in place.
The EPA’s rule is designed to bring energy efficiency to the utility sector and doesn’t undercut the environmental protections that already in place and will remain on the books, according to Wheeler. When the president asked him to become acting EPA administrator, Wheeler said the goal has always been to fight for clean air and water while protecting U.S. jobs as Acting EPA Administrator.
“He asked me to keep cleaning up the air, keep cleaning up the water and continue to deregulate to provide more jobs for the American public,” he said.