There seems to be a lot of common ground on the Clean Power Plan, though you wouldn’t know it from the political rhetoric that surrounds it. The politicians see it as either a necessary step to saving the planet, or an assault on jobs and our current way of life, especially in coal-dependent Indiana.
Four panelists at a Clean Power Plan Forum in Bloomington Monday did not live in the extremes, however. They represented the distance between Indiana’s largest environmental group and its utility companies, but they agreed on the need for clear direction on future energy policy and that increased use of renewable energy must be a goal.
One of the beauties of the Clean Power Plan, which seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants, is that it does not force any specific actions on individual states. The federal government sets goals, and it’s up to the states to develop plans for achieving the goals.
Panelist Mark Maassel, president of the Indiana Energy Association, noted the state is moving away from a reliance on coal. The state once generated 95 percent of its power from coal, but that’s down below 85 percent now, he said.
That’s noteworthy progress. But Indiana must continue to do more.
Gov. Mike Pence has fought this plan. He said the state won’t comply with the federal rule, and Indiana joined other states in going to court to block the rule from taking effect. Last week, the Supreme Court issued an order that will stop implementation for now and could lead to blocking this significant step toward addressing climate change from ever taking place.
The Clean Power Plan is a common-sense outline that gives states a lot of leeway in addressing an issue of global importance. Opposition to it is short-sighted.
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