Last week, a stopper was put on the U.S. Clean Power Plan.
The country’s Supreme Court ruled that the project would have to be delayed until legal challenges from 27 separate states are resolved.
This will come as no surprise to anyone tuned into the news when the plan was first put through last year. From the get-go, the CPP was widely criticized for being unconstitutional and unnecessary.
Well, barring the legal applications of the plan, at least one of those accusations may turn out to be true…
Similar to how people argued that solar and wind don’t need tax credits to keep growing, states are now saying they don’t need the CPP to bring about a productive emissions cut.
You see, even the states that are opposing the federal plan had already begun preparing state-wide emissions reduction plans as mandated by the CPP. 
And many, even without the CPP, are likely to see those changes through.
For example, Montana and North Dakota never intended not to comply with the CPP, but will take the extra “breathing room” this delay gives them to make their decisions.
Meanwhile, California and New York were already well on their way to cleaner energy production before the CPP came about, and will continue working in that direction whether it gets put through or not.
Still other states are preparing in case the federal mandates do come fully into play soon. Colorado in particular wants to keep up preparations to make sure it “is not left at a disadvantage” according to the state’s Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper.
The basic attitude on the matter is that while the CPP will offer guidelines and milestones for the states to reach, it isn’t entirely necessary to bring about nation-wide emissions reduction.
Decreased coal use has been the trend for a while now. The bankruptcy of several U.S. coal companies in the past year has been evidence enough of that.
More than 15,000 megawatts of coal energy production capacity were shut down last year, and some of the country’s largest electricity utilities such as American Electric Power Co. Inc. are switching over to natural gas or renewable energy.
“The Supreme Court decision does not change the path we are on,” asserts Ohio FirstEnergy Corp. spokesperson Jennifer Young.
It’s common knowledge that greenhouse gas emissions are reaching dangerous levels, and that clean energy solutions are needed.
So, with or without the Clean Power Plan, nation-wide clean energy is just the next logical step.
To continue reading about the U.S.’s clean energy activity, simply click here to read the Reuters article.
Until next time,
Keith Kohl
Check us out on YouTube!A true insider in the technology and energy markets, Keith’s research has helped everyday investors capitalize from the rapid adoption of new technology trends and energy transitions. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital, as well as the investment director of Angel Publishing’s Energy Investor and Technology and Opportunity.
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