EPA’s power plant rules came with a story about how the nation’s electric grid could develop over the next two decades.
The so-called regulatory impact analysis uses charts and graphs to predict how the new rules — which curb carbon from new gas and existing coal-fired plants — might work with other policies and market forces to shape America’s power mix.
EPA calls the projections “illustrative in nature,” partly dependent on how states implement the rule for coal plants. Overall, the analysis shows a trend toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels, with President Joe Biden’s sweeping 2022 climate law driving the transformation.
But there are some subtle changes between what EPA saw a year ago — when it proposed the rules — and what it is projecting now.
