The state of Arizona is writing an efficiency plan for coal plants to go with changes at the federal level.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration finalized a clean energy plan for coal plants. The cuts to carbon emissions in the plan are now much lower than previous rules, and critics say they are much less than what’s needed to meaningfully slow climate change.
President Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy rule replaced the Obama-era Clean Power Plan in June.
As part of the new regulations, the federal government makes states look for more efficiencies at coal plants. To start the process of writing its plan, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality holds its first public stakeholder meeting Friday.
“I expect that the energy companies will also be involved, the general public,” said Erin Jordan, a spokesperson at ADEQ. “We want all [stakeholders] to be involved in this process to ensure that we have the best interests of the state in mind in our plan.”
People can go to the meeting in person, or attend via phone or webinar.
The plans aren’t due to the federal government for over two years.
