MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—The Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the West Virginia University College of Law will be analyzing the Environmental Protection Agency’s new plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants.
Teaming up with Downstream Strategies, a Morgantown-based environmental consulting firm, the Center will be working on a project titled “Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Opportunities for the West Virginia Power Sector.” They will explore the various strategies available to West Virginia to comply with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule.
“West Virginia has an abundance of energy resources including coal, natural gas, biomass, wind, solar, and energy efficiency,” said James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development. “The challenge is to use the right mix of these resources to ensure that West Virginia can achieve compliance with the new emission standards in the lowest cost manner to minimize the disruption to the state’s economy.”
The Plan, released on June 2, identifies a series of pollution reduction measures to lower carbon dioxide emission from the U.S. power sector. It intends to cut emission by 30 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. For West Virginia, that means reducing emission rates by 21 percent by 2030, from a 2012 baseline.
“This project will help us better understand the cost and potential of various energy technologies to reduce the state’s emission profile and the policy frameworks needed to guide the timely deployment of those technologies and resources,” Van Nostrand commented.
Evan Hansen, president of Downstream Strategies, said that West Virginia has the potential to improve energy efficiency and increase its use of renewable energy.
“We’ll be looking at the potential for energy efficiency and renewable resources such as wind and solar in reducing emissions under the EPA rule, and measures policy makers and regulators can take to incentivize greater deployment of these resources like we see in neighboring states,” he said.
The joint project is made possible through a grant from the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation. The foundation seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect freshwater streams and tributaries against the effects of pollution from energy development and use.
For more information on “Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Opportunities for the West Virginia Power Sector,” contact James Van Nostrand at (304) 293-4694 or james.vannostrand@mail.wvu.edu.
About the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development
The Center for Energy and Sustainable Development is an energy and environmental public policy and research organization founded at the WVU College of Law in 2011. The Center’s activities revolve around training the next generation of energy and environmental attorneys, promoting sustainable practices in the development of energy resources, encouraging the development of clean energy resources and advancing the role of utilities in pursuing a sustainable energy path.
About Downstream Strategies, LLC
Downstream Strategies has more than 16 years of experience building capacity for sustainability through its energy, water, and land program areas. The firm supports strategic approaches to energy and climate change by developing plans, policies, and projects that are grounded in economic and policy analyses. www.downstreamstrategies.com
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