EPA Underestimates Renewables in Clean Power Plan, Report Says

States can cost-effectively produce almost twice as much renewable electricity as the EPA calculated they could under its proposed Clean Power Plan, according to a proposal from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The science group found that increased renewable electricity growth could allow states to collectively cut heat-trapping carbon emissions from power plants 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 rather than the 30 percent reduction EPA included in its draft rule.

Overall, the EPA calculated that renewables could comprise 12 percent of US electricity sales in 2030, marginally more than business-as-usual projections from the Energy Information Administration. If fully implemented, UCS’s proposed modified approach for setting state targets would result in renewables supplying at least 23 percent of national power sales by 2030.

UCS’s analysis found that seven states are already producing more renewable electricity than EPA computed they could in 2030 under its draft rule. Additionally, 17 states have existing laws that require more renewable electricity than EPA’s targets.