It might take a village (of regulations) to tame carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, Ben writes.
The big picture:New carbon rules grabbed the biggest headlines this week, but the Environmental Protection Agency also toughened requirements yesterday on other types of coal pollution.
The intrigue: TD Cowen, in a note, called this de facto insurance for addressing coal's climate impact.
"The likelihood of judicial remand is high — hence the importance of three other rules, which are more narrowly tailored, yet still raise operational costs for coal-fired assets."
They see "significant coal retirements" from the mercury and air toxics standards in concert with new wastewater rules, even if CO2 mandates face legal setbacks.
State of play: An EPA analysis argues the carbon rules and other new standards together will clean up the grid without jeopardizing it.
The mandates give power companies "information and regulatory certainty needed for an integrated, coordinated, and economically efficient approach to meeting their environmental obligations," EPA said.
Our thought bubble: Speaking of CO2 rules, some of K Street's criticism is rooted in what Andrew writes about in today's top item.
On the gas side, the American Petroleum Institute says energy thirst for data centers and manufacturing show more renewables and more gas are needed.
