Tool Helps States Meet New Emission Standards
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed an easy-to-use but technically detailed interactive tool to help states decide how to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new carbon dioxide emission standards. In June 2014, the EPA proposed a Clean Power Plan under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act for the state-level regulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from existing electric generating plants. The proposal, which will be finalized this summer, sets state-specific goals for CO2 emissions but provides each state with flexibility to choose how to meet its goal. The proposed regulation offers four "building blocks” from which states can build their plan: make coal plants more efficient, use more natural gas generation, build more renewable generators like wind or solar and improve energy efficiency. These building blocks allow states to construct many possible plans, but understanding which specific combinations of power plants come together to an EPA-compliant solution is difficult. Low-cost solutions can be hidden from view because of nuances in the regulation and details about power plants in a state. To meet this need, a team of CMU engineering researchers developed the Interactive State On-site Mitigation Analytical Policy tool (ISOMAP).
