The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year dropped a proposal to attempt to regulate carbon from power plants, which are responsible for about a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA and clean energy proponents say the time frames are workable and crucial to cutting carbon emissions while allowing time for compliance and the flexibility needed to keep the lights on during the transition. Others disagree.
Coal-fired power plants
Michigan’s coal-fired power plants are annually generating more than 1 million tons of waste that’s laden with lead, mercury and arsenic and poses significant dangers to the health of residents and the state’s groundwater and surface water, the Michigan Environmental Council said in a new report released Tuesday morning.