Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Henry R. Darwin told the House Energy and Power Subcommittee that the EPA expects Arizona to eliminate all of its coal-fired power in favor of natural gas. But Darwin said Arizona only uses those coal plants to meet peak needs during hot summers. He believes that is the only building block available to Arizona and will not be enough to meet the state’s emissions reduction requirement–which is the second highest in the country.
Despite EPA’s efforts, the Clean Power Plan still presents three key challenges for Arizona:
(1) When compared to baseline levels in 2012, Arizona must achieve almost a 52 percent reduction in
emissions intensity by 2030; this is the second most stringent reduction target in the country.
(2) To comply with the interim goal by 2020, more than 75 percent of Arizona’s total reductions must
occur by 2020.
(3) The energy needed to deliver Colorado River water to central Arizona is generated on the Navajo
Reservation where there is currently no proposed rule or goals.
See his full testimony here. Or look for the committee video here.