EPA goal is in reach in New York, environment group says

Brian Tumulty, POU
WASHINGTON – New York can comply with an Obama administration proposal to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 by becoming more energy efficient, relying more on natural gas and modifying coal-fired power plants, environmentalists say.

"These targets are very reasonable," David Hawkins, director of climate programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Tuesday. "They have a lot of headroom."
At first blush, the proposal appears to require drastic action by New York, calling for a 44-percent reduction in carbon emissions per megawatt hour by 2030. The

Environmental Protection Agency estimates New York's power plants produced 983 pounds of carbon pollution per megawatt hour of electricity in 2012. The EPA wants that brought down to 549 pounds by 2030.

But the state already is considering some steps that would achieve the targeted goal. The draft New York State Energy Plan circulating in Albany includes a 50-percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 that uses 2010 as the baseline. The EPA uses 2012.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/2014/06/06/epa-new-york-carbon/10104151/