FACT SHEET
Final ACE Rule - CO2 Emissions Trends
•	On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, EPA issued the Affordable Clean Energy rule (ACE), an effort
to provide existing coal-fired electric utility generating units, or EGUs, with achievable and
realistic standards for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
•	This action was finalized in conjunction with two related, but separate and distinct
rulemakings:
o The repeal of the Clean Power Plan (CPP).
o Revised implementing regulations for ACE, ongoing emission guidelines for existing
sources, and all future emission guidelines issued under the authority of Clean Air
Act (CAA) section 111(d).
•	ACE will provide states with new emission guidelines that will inform the states'
development of standards of performance to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from
existing coal-fired EGUs — consistent with EPA's role as defined in the CAA.
C02 EMISSIONS STEADILY DECLINING
•	EPA projects that, compared to a no-CPP baseline, the ACE rule will reduce carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions in 2030 by about 11 million short tons, resulting in combined domestic
climate benefits and ancillary health co-benefits of $570 million to $1.3 billion at a 3 percent
discount rate, and $470 million to $1.1 billion at a 7 percent discount rate.
•	ACE, combined with emission reductions expected from industry trends, will reduce CO2
emissions from the electric sector by as much as 35 percent below 2005 levels in 2030.
•	CO2 emissions in the power sector have steadily declined in recent years due to a range of
factors including: market forces, technology improvements, and regulatory and other policy
changes. As a result, the industry has increased the use of natural gas and renewable energy
sources. These trends have resulted in CO2 emission reductions even as the U.S. has
sustained economic growth and job gains across the economy—and this has all happened
without the CPP ever going into effect, due to the Supreme Court's unprecedented stay of
that rule in February 2016. The ACE rule will continue this trend.
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•	Population
•	Electricity Generation
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•	The power sector emitted roughly 1.9 billion tons of CO2 in 2017, compared to 2.6 billion
tons in 2005—a 28 percent decrease.1
o Table 1 in the appendix to this fact sheet provides state-level CO2 emissions data for
2005 and 2017 as well as the state-level percentage of generation by fuel type for
2017.2
•	Approximately 600 coal-fired electric generating units at 300 facilities could be covered by
this rule.
•	The U.S. leads the world in reducing CO2 emissions. The Energy Information Administration
(EIA) found that U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 14 percent between 2005 to 2017,
with coal-related CO2 emissions down 39 percent over that period. During that time, global
energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 21 percent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
•	Additional fact sheets along with copies of the final rule and accompanying Regulatory
Impact Analysis are available on EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/stationarv-sources~
a ir-pollution/affordable-clean-ene rev-ace-rule.
1	EPA's Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2017, available at:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2017.
2	2018 state-level data is not yet available from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
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APPENDIX
Table 1: CO2 Emissions and Generation Mix by State3
Alaska
Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of
Columbia
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
North Dakota
CO2 Emissions
(million short
tons)
2017 Generation Mix
(percent of total generation by fuel-type)4
2005
2017
Coal
Natural
Gas
Nuclear
Renewable
Other
3.6
3.4
7%
52%
0%
26%
14%
89.5
56.3
23%
38%
31%
7%
0%
28.6
35.8
44%
29%
21%
5%
0%
56.5
48.1
30%
28%
31%
12%
0%
47.0
37.0
0%
40%
9%
50%
0%
45.3
39.2
54%
23%
0%
22%
0%
12.4
7.9
1%
45%
49%
4%
2%
0.3
0.0
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
7.1
3.2
6%
92%
0%
2%
0%
142.1
115.8
16%
68%
13%
2%
1%
93.7
57.6
26%
43%
28%
3%
0%
9.7
7.3
15%
0%
0%
13%
72%
40.4
28.3
43%
7%
9%
40%
0%
0.7
1.3
0%
17%
0%
83%
0%
105.2
71.0
31%
8%
54%
7%
0%
134.5
87.9
76%
17%
0%
6%
0%
42.0
24.3
38%
4%
21%
37%
0%
100.5
69.4
79%
14%
0%
6%
1%
48.0
37.1
18%
50%
23%
1%
7%
28.5
12.8
4%
68%
16%
9%
3%
35.7
13.6
25%
18%
45%
10%
1%
4.6
1.6
1%
21%
0%
75%
3%
84.9
60.8
38%
23%
29%
7%
2%
40.7
28.8
39%
11%
24%
25%
1%
88.4
75.4
80%
6%
10%
4%
0%
27.5
26.2
8%
79%
13%
0%
0%
21.8
17.4
49%
1%
0%
47%
3%
81.3
52.0
27%
30%
34%
8%
0%
35.9
32.6
64%
2%
0%
34%
0%
3	ElA's Detailed State Data, available at https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/state/.
4	These data exclude industrial and commercial sources.
5	Includes geothermal, hydroelectric (conventional and pumped storage), biomass (including wood and wood
derived fuels), solar (thermal and photovoltaic), and wind.
6	Includes petroleum and other gases.
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Nebraska
24.1
23.1
59%
2%
20%
19%
0%
New Hampshire
8.7
2.1
2%
20%
58%
20%
1%
New Jersey
22.2
19.2
2%
50%
46%
2%
1%
New Mexico
36.3
25.3
55%
27%
0%
18%
0%
Nevada
28.9
14.3
5%
70%
0%
25%
0%
New York
63.6
25.8
0%
37%
33%
28%
1%
Ohio
145.0
86.3
58%
24%
15%
2%
2%
Oklahoma
55.4
34.2
23%
41%
0%
35%
0%
Oregon
9.1
8.4
3%
24%
0%
73%
0%
Pennsylvania
136.7
85.1
23%
34%
40%
4%
0%
Rhode Island
2.6
3.1
0%
94%
0%
5%
1%
South Carolina
43.5
27.4
20%
19%
60%
2%
0%
South Dakota
3.7
2.8
19%
6%
0%
75%
0%
Tennessee
60.2
35.5
35%
12%
41%
11%
0%
Texas
257.2
237.1
33%
40%
9%
17%
0%
Utah
39.1
29.7
72%
15%
0%
13%
0%
Virginia
46.1
31.5
12%
50%
35%
3%
1%
Vermont
0.0
0.0
0%
0%
0%
100%
0%
Washington
16.0
11.4
5%
9%
7%
78%
0%
Wisconsin
54.9
44.8
56%
21%
15%
8%
0%
West Virginia
92.6
71.1
95%
1%
0%
4%
0%
Wyoming
49.1
45.8
88%
0%
0%
12%
0%
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