The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered each state to cut back on emissions of carbon dioxide by 2030, and a new report shows Virginia will be nearly half-way there by 2020.
The state has agreed to cut its rate of CO2 pollution by 38-percent, and at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Senior Energy Analyst Jeremy Richardson says the key is scaling back on coal.
“Virginia expects to retire 14 coal-fired generating units between 2012 and 2020, and that represents about 19% of the state’s coal fired generation.”
The decision to close or covert coal-burning plants was triggered not by environmental concerns-- but by the fact that natural gas is so much cheaper. To meet the full requirement, Richardson adds, Virginians must get more of their power from the sun and wind while adopting more conservation measures.
