Our Top Ten Facts about the Carbon Pollution Standards

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Megan Ceronsky, 303-447-7224, mceronsky@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose the Carbon Pollution Standards for power plants.

It’s an historic new step in America’s efforts to address climate change.

In anticipation of Monday’s announcement, Environmental Defense Fund has put together this list of ten helpful facts about carbon pollution, clean energy and climate change. We hope you’ll find them useful.

1. There are currently no national limits on carbon pollution from power plants.

2. Power plants account for almost 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy.

3. In 2011, carbon pollution from the U.S. power sector exceeded total pollution levels from all nations except the U.S. and China.

4. The single most carbon dioxide emitting power plant in the United States produced more than 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2011 – more than the total energy-related emissions of eight states and 120 countries.

5. America had 3.4 million green energy jobs in 2011. Between 2010 and 2011, green jobs grew four times as fast as other jobs.

6. Every dollar invested into clean energy creates approximately three times as many jobs as the same dollar invested into fossil fuels.

7. In 2012, rooftop solar panels cost approximately one percent of what they did 35 years ago.

8. Between 2011 and 2013, wind generation in the United States increased by 40 percent.

9. In 2010, Americans using ENERGY STAR products and retrofits saved the energy equivalent of approximately 45 power plants — preventing 195 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and saving more than $20 billion in their energy bills.

10. 64 percent of Americans support setting strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing power plants.