Weak Demand, Cheap Gas Reduces Impact Of New Emissions Standards

The EPA’s new limits on carbon emissions make it difficult to impossible to open a new coal plant, but with falling demand growth, cheap gas, and improved renewables, new coal plants aren’t essential to meeting the country’s energy needs anyways. The bigger question is what will happen next year when the EPA is expected to come out with a rule restricting emissions from existing plants.

The need for new power plants in the U.S. relatively low

Between increased energy efficiency measures, solar panel distribution, and demand-management, power demand growth has been falling for the last few years, including every region in the continental U.S. other than California and Texas. Twenty-five states have binding energy...