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News Tip: Repeal of Clean Power Plan Attempts to ‘Game the System,’ Expert Says

Trump administration plans to repeal part of Obama plan

The Trump administration announced Monday it wants to repeal the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.

Quote: 

“President Trump’s proposal appears to try to game the system to avoid EPA’s obligation to regulate greenhouse gases in the near future,” says Tim Profeta, director of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. “It proposes to withdraw the rule to avoid the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision on precisely the question that is used to justify the withdrawal — whether it can regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”

“When you add that the EPA’s next step may be to offer an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, an unnecessary administrative step that would only delay action, it seems clear that there’s no desire to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants any time in the near future.”

 “A key takeaway from President Trump’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan is that the D.C. Circuit Court should now rule on the legality of the plan.”

“The court should decide the case that it has before it in order to clear up any dispute over the extent of EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.”

  •  Bio:
    Tim Profeta, director of Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, has worked for nearly two decades on climate policy, with a particular focus on the use of market forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His recent work has focused on using flexible mechanisms to create climate regulations in the U.S. under the Clean Air Act and how the model of carbon regulation being developed in the U.S. could translate to other countries. 
     
  • Previous video of Profeta discussing the Clean Power Plan:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbzx0cMtKKw
     
  • For additional comment, contact Tim Profeta at:
    tim.profeta@duke.edu