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Adobe, IKEA North America, Mars, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts filed briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the EPA's Clean Power Plan. The companies stated they "view the Clean Power Plan and its emissions reduction program as a component of their domestic and international business risk mitigation strategies."

The US could cut its carbon dioxide emissions 20% more by using the Clean Power Plan, according to the Energy Information Administration. The report said carbon dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants have been declining for a decade, but the nation could further accelerate that shift by employing the CPP. Rice University Associate Professor Daniel Cohan argues that the report emphasizes the importance of the ongoing litigation over the CPP and how far the US still has to go to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

The biggest players in technology and some of the largest consumer brands recently submitted separate friend-of-the-court briefs providing resounding support for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.

In a delay for the EPA's Clean Power Plan, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit yesterday said the full court will hear oral arguments on the carbon emissions rule on Sept. 27. A three-judge panel had been scheduled to hear the case on June 2.

Tech giants Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon have submitted a joint brief to the Washington, D.C. Circuit Court in support of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.

The Obama administration's rule leans heavily on renewable energy to meet its goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030, which is an increase of 2 percentage points from the draft it released in the summer of 2014. While states have two additional years until they must begin cutting emissions - 2022 instead of 2020 - they are expected to start devising ways to improve their environments, which will focus on shifting to cleaner burning fuels and away from carbon-heavy ones. "The trend we are on will get us there," says Rob Gramlich, senior vice president for government affairs at the American Wind Energy Association, in a phone interview. "As the nation moves from coal to gas, and as it adds more wind, solar and energy efficiency, we will reach that 32 percent target."

The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan rule will require states to begin cutting carbon emissions by 2022. "The trend we are on will get us there. As the nation moves from coal to gas, and as it adds more wind, solar and energy efficiency, we will reach that 32% target," said Rob Gramlich of the American Wind Energy Association. To comply, states can choose among options including boosting renewables, improving heat rates for coal-fired steam generators, and using more nuclear energy and lower-emitting natural gas. Forbes (8/4) 

The Environmental Protection Agency is confident that the stayed Clean Power Plan is legal and will stand up in court, according to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. In the meantime, the EPA has begun holding hearings on the proposed Clean Energy Incentive Program and has heard from many states that are interested in voluntarily complying with the CPP.

The House is expected to vote on a pair of Congressional Review Act resolutions that would stop the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and a separate rule for new power plants. The Senate approved its own resolutions before the Thanksgiving break

China, the world's biggest clean energy investor, plans to increase wind and solar power capacity by more than 21 percent next year as it works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting its reliance on coal. The nation is targeting at least 20 gigawatts of new wind power installations and 15 gigawatts of additional photovoltaic capacity next year, the National Energy Administration said in a statement on Tuesday.

Researchers from Harvard University published a study that analyzes the economic and public health benefits of implementing a U.S. power plant carbon standard similar to the Clean Power Plan. The study estimates that a U.S. power plant carbon standard could bring net benefits close to $38 billion annually.

New data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration also highlighted another potential contradiction: Virtually every state suing to block the Clean Power Plan has itself shifted toward burning less coal to generate the electricity its residents need since the year 2007 - in some cases by very large amounts.

Despite news about Google and Apple investing in clean energy to power their huge data centers, Internet companies' renewable energy efforts are being held back by slow-moving, monopolistic utilities and sclerotic state policies, according to a report by Greenpeace released Tuesday.

Two years ago, Apple embarked on an ambitious plan to help its biggest suppliers switch to clean power sources. As of early June, the tech giant has managed to get eight partners on board.

The Environmental Protection Agency published its final Clean Power Plan rule on Monday. Under the rule, the U.S. will be required to reduce its carbon emission 32% below 2005 levels by 2030. The solar and wind industries have praised the rule. "American wind power can do this. Low-cost wind energy reduced carbon emissions by 5% in 2014, and we're capable of doing a lot more," said American Wind Energy Association CEO Tom Kiernan. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped working on a voluntary compliance program for power plants looking to cut emissions under the Clean Power Plan. The Trump administration has pledged to overturn the CPP.

President Trump signed an executive order that targets key elements of U.S. climate strategy, including the Clean Power Plan, emissions rules for new fossil-fuel power plants, methane regulations, and more. It is still unclear how the U.S. will engage around the Paris Agreement.

A fund-matching program spearheaded by the EPA will help bridge the financial gap to implementation of the new climate policy. 

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration announced Monday that it would take formal steps to repeal President Barack Obama's signature policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, setting up a bitter fight over the future of America's efforts to tackle global warming.