Port Westward Generating Plant in Clatskanie
  • Portland General Electric
  • Port Westward Generating Plant in Clatskanie

President Obama today released the final version of the Clean Power Plan—an Environmental Protection Agency program that aims to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from the nation's power plants.

The plan will potentially transform the United States' electricity industry by pushing utility companies to take cleaner energy more seriously, but only if each state participates, courts uphold the ruling, and future presidents work to implement it as well.

Here's the basics of the plan: The EPA will assign each state a goal for reducing carbon emissions from their electric power plants. States then decide how to make the changes necessary to reach those goals by doing things like reducing reliance on coal, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, etc. States have to submit their plans by 2018 and start making the reductions by 2022. If a state chooses not to submit a plan, the EPA will impose one of its own.

The EPA estimates that, if all goes as planned, carbon-dioxide emissions will be about 32 percent less in 2030 than they were in 2005. According to the EPA, power plans were responsible for 31 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions in 2013, making them the biggest single source.

Mayor Charlie Hales traveled to Washington DC over the weekend and met with Obama today to discuss the plan. Hales is part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and last month traveled to the Vatican to discuss climate change with Pope Francis. Earlier this year Hales reversed his decision to welcome Pembina Pipeline Corporation to set up shop at the Port of Portland and has stated publicly that he doesn't support Obama's decision to drill for oil in the Arctic.