Markey: New Obama Carbon Pollution Standard Will Accelerate American Energy Innovation

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2012) – The Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency today released a carbon pollution standard that would require power plants to reduce heat-trapping emissions that are causing dangerous climate change. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the co-author of the only climate change bill to pass a chamber of the U.S. Congress, today issued the following statement:

“America is already moving away from old, dirty ways of burning coal and oil, and this carbon pollution standard will accelerate the development and deployment of cleaner forms of energy like wind, solar and even natural gas."

“The Obama administration has already put us on the path towards emitting less pollution from our vehicle tailpipes, and now they are doing the same thing for America’s power plant smokestacks. Both efforts will spur a generation of American-built energy innovation, and help stave off the worse effects of climate change.”

“This carbon standard is yet another indication that we need to keep America’s natural gas here at home to provide affordable electricity and capitalize on this competitive advantage to rebuild our manufacturing, chemical and fertilizer industries.”