Duke University Releases New Study Addressing Water Consumption Trends in Pennsylvania

Recently, Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy, in collaboration with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, published a study entitled “A Spatiotemporal Exploration of Water Consumption Changes Resulting from the Coal-to-Gas Transition in Pennsylvania.” The study examines water use trends in Pennsylvania associated with natural gas production from the Marcellus Shale formation.

The researchers looked into the effects of transitioning power generation from coal to gas on water consumption over the period from 2009 through 2012 and discovered that “during this period, water consumed by coal power decreased by 13% while natural gas increased by 67%, which still resulted in a net decrease of 6% total water consumed for electricity generation across the state.” The researchers also noted that the southwest and southeast sub-basins experienced most of the changes in water consumption due to hydraulic fracturing activities.

The researchers suggested that national and regional agencies should “examine water consumption of both fuel extraction and electricity generation at high spatial and temporal resolutions if decision makers are to understand the cumulative impacts of the coal-to-gas transition in the power sector.”

Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow

01/29/2016

Obama Administration Announces Clean Power Plan

On August 3, 2015, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the unveiling of the Clean Power Plan.  The Clean Power Plan 40 CFR Part 60 is a regulation advanced by the EPA under the Clean Air Act.  The plan proposes to cut carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants to 32 percent below their 2005 levels by the year 2030. According to the White House, fossil fuel-fired power plants are the largest source of U.S. CO₂ emissions, making up 32 percent of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions. The plan calls for renewable energy sources to account for 28 percent of the power capacity by 2030.  The EPA has set targeted emission goals for each state.

The states are tasked with developing and implementing plans to ensure that their power plants achieve the interim emissions performance rates between 2022 and 2029 and the final emission performance rates, rate-based goals, or mass-based goals by 2030. According to a White House fact sheet, the states can choose from three different forms of goal measurement: “a rate-based state goal measured in pounds per megawatt hour; a mass-based state goal measured in total short tons of CO₂; and a mass-based state goal with a new source complement measured in total tons of CO₂."  The states can reach these goals by increasing the percentage of their electricity that comes from renewable sources, increasing efficiency at power plants, increasing reliance on nuclear power, implementing carbon capture and storage,  and/or switching away from coal-fired power plants and toward natural gas generation.   An administration fact sheet says that these emission reduction goals will be less reliant on a growth of the use of natural gas than was the case with the earlier proposed rule in 2014.   The final rule includes a Clean Energy Incentive Program, which will promote “early deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency.”  

The states also may reduce their emissions through emissions trading.  States can use either emission rate credits (for a rate-based standard) or allowances (for a mass-based standard).   The rule enables states to design state rate-based or mass-based plans the will make their units “trading ready” which would allow individual power plants to use out-of-state reductions in the form of credits or allowances.  States are required to submit a final or initial state plan with an extension request by September 6, 2016.  The final complete state plans must be submitted by September 6, 2018.

Written by Stephen Kenney - Research Assistant

Center for Agricultural and Shale Law

August 3, 2015

Natural Gas Overtakes Coal as Leading Source of Energy for U.S. Electric Power Generation

On July 2, 2015, SNL Energy, a research company, published an article assessing the use of natural gas in electric generation compared with the use of coal. SNL pointed out that coal is no longer considered as the top source of U.S. electric generation, having been surpassed by natural gas.

Based on EIA data for April 2015, the article stated that “natural gas drove 31% of all electric-power generation in April, up from 22% in April 2010. At the same time, the share of power coming from coal has fallen from 44% in April 2010 to 30% this past April.” SNL analyzed that new environmental regulations, lower gas prices and repowering of existing coal-fired power plants to gas-fired may have been the trigger for this coal decline.

The EIA data for April 2015 is available at: http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/. 

Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow

07/15/2015