Greenhouse Gas Regulation of Existing Power Plants Under the Clean Air Act: Key Themes Emerging from BPC’s Workshop Series

The Bipartisan Policy Center and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) hosted a series of three public workshops in 2013 and 2014 to explore the challenges and opportunities of regulating greenhouse gases (GHGs) from existing power plants under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.

The workshops provided a forum for a variety of stakeholders to explore this theme. Speakers included U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials, state public utility commissioners, state environmental officials and advisors, power company executives, technology providers, regional transmission organizations, environmental organizations, and other experts.

The first workshop, held on September 25, 2013, provided an overview of the challenges and opportunities presented by 111(d) regulation. The second workshop, held on December 6, 2013, explored policy design options and economic modeling of the impacts of potential regulatory scenarios. The third workshop, held on April 7, 2014, looked at existing state, regional, and company efforts to reduce GHG emissions from the power sector as well as the possibility for multistate cooperation. All three events were held in Washington, D.C.