The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week released the final rules of its Clean Power Plan. Initially proposed in June and aimed squarely at coal-based energy production, the ruling tightens its requirements for states to develop plans to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The plan will assign emissions reduction targets to states individually based on actual emissions along with other factors, such as their ability to shift to natural gas or expected closings of coal plants.

Locally, the plan signals drastic measures to improve air quality. Arizona has nearly the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of any state in the country, requiring that it reduce this amount by 52 percent in order to meet the Clean Power Plan guidelines.

Over the last several years, Arizona Public Service (APS) Company’s Cholla Power Plant in Joseph City has engaged proactive efforts to support this initiative, including installing more than $320 million in new emission controls equipment to substantially reduce pollutants.

APS Corporate Communications spokesperson Steven Gotfried said the company is confident that it aligned its preliminary targets well within EPA air quality parameters.

“We had initially proposed a plan based on the regional haze rule that would shut down Unit 2 at Cholla by 2016, and then stop burning coal at the remaining two units by 2025, if approved by the federal government. What the new clean power plan does is set targets for each state; then it is up to each state to decide how it is going to reach those targets. It benchmarks the intermediate compliance timeline at the year 2022, and the final compliance date at 2030. If our proposal is approved as submitted, then we believe it will satisfy EPA regulations and the plant will not require any more modifications to comply.”

The EPA and other agencies have been monitoring air visibility in national parks and wilderness areas since 1988. In 1999, the EPA announced the Regional Haze Rule, calling for state and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility at 156 national parks and wilderness areas throughout the country.

Under the new guidelines, the EPA plan focuses heavily on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar in phasing out dirtier coal-fired power plants, which Gotfried indicated APS had also proactively prepared for in its transition proposal.

“APS currently provides more solar power to its customers than any utility in the United States other than California. We also have won the EPA’s Clean Power Partnership award for six years in a row. That being said, we believe that solar energy is an important part of Arizona’s future.”

As for its impact on the local community, Gotfried pointed out that APS’ approach to managing the changing energy landscape has been holistic. “We made the decisions for Cholla based on what was best for the community, best for our customers, best for our employees, and best for the APS company,” he said.

The unveiling of the EPA’s plan has not launched without debate, however, sparking legal disputes between environmental regulators and coal industry supporters, including the June 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of the State of Arizona against the EPA, citing that the agency neglected to factor the cost of implementing pollutant control rules when drafting its revised guidelines.

Critics and lawmakers from states that rely on coal-based energy have also reportedly vowed to challenge the new energy plan in court, accusing the EPA of excessive regulatory measures that will potentially drive up energy costs.

Tribal officials expressed concerns over the anticipated impact new EPA regulations will have on the coal power supported economy of the Navajo Nation, which includes two power plants and associated mines that serve as an economic lifeline of the Navajo people.

“These jobs are extremely difficult to obtain on the nation and are almost irreplaceable. Any negative impacts on the power plants and mines will have a severe and direct effect on the tribal economy,” said Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye.