2015 Conference

Discussion Symposium

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under its authority of the Clean Air Act, has proposed a Clean Power Plan to ensure large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through a variety of low-carbon, renewable energy and energy efficiency technology options.  A variety of research groups have provided comments and detailed assessments which point to significant economic and social benefits from this proposed rulemaking. Economic and Human Dimensions Research Associates, for example, issued an assessment for the Environmental Defense Fund noting that, if the EPA rulemaking stimulated a 20 percent improvement in the efficient use of electricity, that productivity benefit could result in a cumulative net energy bill savings of $380 billion over the period 2014 through 2030. Moreover, the transition to a more energy-efficient economy might also drive a net gain of 800,000 new jobs for the U.S. economy even as it also reduces carbon pollution by 971 million metric tons, and sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by 700,000 and 800,000 tons, respectively. This panel will examine: (a) the broader economic and advanced technology implications of this proposed rulemaking, (b) the role of executive policymaking in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and (c) potential implications for educational curricula in advancing both the social and economic benefits of clean air and climate change policies within the United States.  Brief opening remarks will be followed by ample time for discussion.