A State Model CO2 Emissions Standard for Power Plants

As the Environmental Protection Agency develops CO2 emission standards for new and existing power plants, this article presents an alternative state standard that could potentially be accepted by EPA. This standard is simple and transparent, and can be implemented with just a few pages of regulation. It is low-cost, market-based, technology-neutral and can link with other programs. The standard provides credits to generators based upon emissions performance, and retires credits in amounts sufficient to achieve targeted CO2 reductions.