Breaking News: White House Climate Czar John Podesta Undermines EPA’s Carbon Pollution Standard

As I write this post, White House energy and environment adviser John Podesta is speaking at a conference held by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, and he just said that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology is “a ways off in my opinion,” as tweeted by Amy Harder of the Wall Street Journal. This is a significant concession because one of the Obama administration’s top priorities, a proposed regulation known as the Carbon Pollution Standard, would require all new coal-fired power plants to install CCS. However, under the Clean Air Act, EPA is not authorized to impose pollution control technologies that are not yet “adequately demonstrated.” As we’ve long argued, EPA’s Carbon Pollution Standard, which is due to be finalized this summer, is illegal as proposed, because CCS is not yet market viable. It’s nice to hear that Obama’s top climate adviser agrees.