Letters to the Editor: Carbon-capture technology isn’t ready for an EPA mandate yet
To the editor: The Aug. 5 piece “The terrible climate hypocrisy at the top of Southern California Edison” misleads readers about the position of the Edison Electric Institute and Edison International on the Biden administration’s proposed power plant emission rules.
Leah Stokes claims we oppose the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. We do not. We share the EPA’s long-term clean energy vision for our sector, which has done more to reduce carbon emissions than any other U.S. industry.
Even without federal standards, our industry’s carbon emissions were 36% below 2005 levels as of last year. Over the past decade, more than 60% of all new generation was wind and solar, rising to 78% since 2020.
Our primary concerns are limited to the EPA’s recommendations on clean hydrogen and carbon-capture storage for gas-fired generators. These technologies are not mature enough to meet the proposed EPA benchmarks. While we’re helping to bring these technologies to scale, establishing goals that are not feasible or affordable won’t help.
Delivering reliable and affordable clean energy is our highest priority, and we’re committed to working with the EPA, not fighting it.
Pedro J. Pizarro, Rosemead
The writer is president and chief executive of Edison International.
