Legislative Background on Clean Power
Recent Action by Congress on Climate Change Measures
In June 2013, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize new carbon pollution standards for new and existing power plants. The President announced the move was part of his Climate Action Plan — a series of executive actions designed to address global climate change. EPA released the final rule, known as the Clean Power Plan, on August 3, 2015. The final rule requires States to submit emissions plans to EPA by September 2016, with a target of reducing carbon output from electric power plants by an estimated 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Announcing the…
