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The environmental and health benefits of phasing out some of the oldest, most polluting coal plants alone would justify the Clean Energy Development Plan. Compared to a business-as-usual future (95 percent coal and nuclear), the reasonable shift outlined in Repowering the Midwest would reduce: Acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2) by 56 percent.
Smog-causing nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) by 71 percent. Global warming-causing carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) by 51 percent. Emissions of particulates, mercury, and other heavy metals. These pollution reductions would lead to a significant reduction in asthma, respiratory ailments, and other public health problems. The catastrophic risks of a nuclear power plant accident and the volume of radioactive nuclear wastes would also be reduced as some older nuclear plants are retired. Another benefit would be better electricity reliability. Increased energy efficiency will ease the strain on transmission and distribution systems.
The Midwest needs a strategic clean energy development plan that implements smart policies and practices to capture readily achievable environmental, public health, employment and economic growth benefits. The Environmental Law & Policy Center and its Midwestern partners set forth a detailed plan to accomplish this goal in Repowering the Midwest: The Clean Energy Development Plan for the Heartland. The environmental quality and public health benefits of Repowering the Midwest have never been seriously disputed. This analysis by REAL substantiates the job gains and economic benefits of
The environmental quality and public health benefits of Repowering the Midwest have never been seriously disputed. This analysis by REAL substantiates the job gains and economic benefits of putting the Clean Energy Development Plan in Repowering the Midwest into action. Rather than impose an economic burden, the phase-in of more clean energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies would produce a Job Jolt of more than 200,000 new jobs, $5.5 billion in new household income and close to $20 billion in additional annual economic output by 2020.