BCSE applauds foresight of Clean Energy Incentive Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently held a public hearing in Chicago regarding the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) under the Clean Power Plan.

In a statement from Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) President Lisa Jacobson, the BCSE said that it is encouraged by the fact that the EPA is advancing the goals of the CEIP in spite of the Supreme Court stay of the Clean Power Plan.

“The objectives of the Clean Energy Incentive Program build on what is already happening in the marketplace, where we are witnessing a clean energy transformation,” Jacobson said. “As shown by the findings of the 2016 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, 2015 was a watershed year: U.S. power sector carbon emissions fell to their lowest annual level since the mid-1990s. The net impact on consumers was negligible to positive, as prices for electricity and fuel remained low by historic standards and customer choices expanded.”

Jacobson pointed to the fact that the CEIP offers states a means of jumpstarting carbon reductions, incentivizing the path to emissions reduction prior to the start of the compliance period.

“States are on the front lines of the changes in the power sector and want to create policy frameworks that meet their energy and economic development needs,” Jacobson said. “The Clean Energy Incentive Program, as part of the Clean Power Plan, gives states the necessary tools to meet their energy goals while also providing economic benefits to low-income communities.”