Obama Administration Pushes to Curb Carbon Emissions
President Obama feels that climate change is a serious issue that he needs to address. That’s why this summer his administration is pushing several changes to regulations on carbon emissions from big trucks, planes, and power plants. Curbing emissions sounds like a good idea, but it is going to cost a lot of money and be a major headache for the transportation and logistics industry.
Under the direction of President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will release new regulations on carbon emissions for airplanes first and then big trucks. This will take place at the beginning of the summer. The regulations will target reduction of methane, a greenhouse gas that occurs from burning oil and natural gas, as well as other carbon emissions. In August, new regulations for power plants will be released.
The U.S. has not seen a big push to curb carbon emissions since 2009 with the national cap-and-trade system. Of course, many opponents of the regulations are putting forth efforts to stop them. For instance, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is asking governors to stall when submitting plans. Many citizens wonder if the regulations proposed by the Obama administration are going too far.
Overall, lowering our carbon footprint is a good idea. However, new regulations may shake up the supply chain industry too quickly. A slow approach would have the least economic impact. Only time will tell whether the new regulations are approved or not.
The reason why the Obama Administration is pushing for the changes now is because in December there is a United Nation’s summit on climate change in Paris. A global accord to cut carbon emissions will likely be discussed, and the U.S. needs to be a leader if something drastic is going to be done to address climate change on a global level. If regulations on carbon emissions are approved, power plants and other companies will have one year to make changes to their operations to comply.
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