Christine Todd Whitman, Former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Former New Jersey Governor, writes for Brookings : “In June, the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft rule to regulate carbon emissions from hundreds of power plants across the country, requiring that they cut carbon-dioxide emissions 30% from 2005 levels by 2030. The plan includes individual goals that the EPA is setting for each state based on the state’s progress in reducing emissions since 2005. The rule would give significant flexibility to states in their pursuit of their target reduction, whether through expanding renewable energy, creating new energy-efficiency programs or creating cap-and-trade programs. The EPA is taking comments on the proposed rule, along with a less aggressive option, before it is finalized in June of 2015.”  

“While not perfect and subject to legal review, this rule does something unusual – it has the potential to strike the important balance between a national standard for reduced emissions and state flexibility to achieve that end. As a Republican in the original sense of the word, and a champion of local government, I think giving states the flexibility to achieve their target through a variety of means is a positive step.”