Washington, D.C. — Today, the Center for American Progress released a column showing that extreme weather events, which will become more severe and frequent as the climate continues to warm, pose the most significant threat to electricity grid reliability. CAP released this column to challenge assertions that the Environmental Protection Agency’s, or EPA’s, Clean Power Plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants could harm the reliability of the nation’s electric grid.
“Several studies have shown that the Clean Power Plan is unlikely to hurt grid reliability, given the flexibility inherent in the plan,” said Myriam Alexander-Kearns, CAP Research Associate and author of the column. “On the other hand, scientists agree that climate change will lead to more severe storms, droughts, and heat waves—all of which strain the electricity grid. Failing to address climate change is a recipe for more power outages and reliability problems.”
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan—which is expected to be finalized later this summer—is an important step toward achieving the aggressive emissions reductions needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
Click here to read the column.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.