Central Perk: The President's Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution and Address Climate Change

miercuri, 10 iulie 2013

The President's Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution and Address Climate Change

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The President’s Plan to Cut Carbon Pollution and Address Climate Change

As President Obama said in his Inaugural Address, the carbon pollution that causes climate change isn't a distant threat and it's clear we have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged. The 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15 years. Asthma rates have doubled in the past 30 years and the nation’s children will suffer more asthma attacks as air pollution gets worse. Increasing floods, heat waves, and droughts have not only taken a toll on our nation’s farmers but have also led to rising food prices. Last year alone, there were more than 11 different weather and climate disaster events with estimated losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States.

In response to this challenge, President Obama laid out his Climate Action Plan. The plan builds on the Administration’s efforts that have brought carbon pollution to the lowest level in nearly 20 years, and takes an all-of-the-above approach to develop homegrown energy and steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution so we can protect our kids’ health and begin to slow the effects of climate change.

You can learn more about President Obama’s plan to tackle climate change by checking out the infographic, the Climate Action Plan fact sheet, or the blog post on the facts behind the President’s plan. You can also learn about the effects of climate change in your state by watching the President’s speech at Georgetown University or watching his weekly address on confronting the growing threat of climate change.

President Obama speaks on his plan to cut carbon pollution and take action on climate change at Georgetown University on June 25, 2013, (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

News & Events

Secretary Jewell Announces Approval of Three Renewable Energy Projects in Arizona and Nevada
As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to expand domestic energy production, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced on June 3rd the approval of three major renewable energy projects that, when built, are expected to deliver up to 520 megawatts to the electricity grid – enough to power nearly 200,000 homes – and help support more than 900 jobs through construction and operations. According to Secretary Jewell, “These projects reflect the Obama’s Administration’s commitment to expand responsible domestic energy production on our public lands and diversify our nation’s energy portfolio.”

New Energy Efficiency Standards for Microwave Ovens Will Save Consumers on Energy Bills
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced on May 31st that the Energy Department has finalized new energy efficiency standards for microwave ovens. These efficiency standards, which will go into effect starting in 2016, will save consumers nearly $3 billion on their energy bills through 2030. Over the next 30 years, energy savings resulting from those standards will dramatically reduce harmful carbon pollution, equivalent to taking over 12 million new cars off the road for one year.

Maine Project Launches First Grid-Connected Offshore Wind Turbine in the U.S.
On May 31st, the Energy Department recognized the nation’s first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine, Maine. Led by the University of Maine and supported by a five-year investment of $12 million from the Energy Department, this project represents the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine to be deployed in the world – strengthening American leadership in innovative clean energy technologies that diversify the nation’s energy mix with more clean, domestic energy sources.

BOEM to Auction Nearly 165,000 Acres Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for Wind Energy Development in July
As part of President Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to continue to expand domestic energy production, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau announced on June 4th that BOEM will hold the first-ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The auction, scheduled to take place on July 31, will offer 164,750 acres offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for commercial wind energy leasing. Together, these areas could support enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes, a significant increase over what BOEM had originally estimated last year.

Interior Releases First-Ever Comprehensive National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential
The first-ever detailed national geologic carbon sequestration assessment released on June 26, by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), showed that the United States has the potential to store a mean of 3,000 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in geologic basins throughout the country. Based on present-day geologic and hydrologic knowledge of the subsurface and current engineering practices, this assessment looked at the potential for CO2 storage in 36 basins in the United States.

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