A recent study by a Syracuse University professor demonstrated the health benefits of a new initiative by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The study, published by Charles Driscoll, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, shows that up to 1,900 lives will be saved, 450 hospitalizations will be prevented and 110 heart attacks will be prevented in New York state from 2020 to 2030 as a result of the Clean Power Plan.

Driscoll, who specializes in air pollution, said the study stems from his interest in coal’s environmental footprint. But after hearing rumors of a new law that controls emissions from power plants, he modified the study to focus on what the benefits are of reducing power plant emissions.

“People have a hard time understanding climate change, but most people are very concerned about the air that they breathe and they know they live in an area with poor air quality,” Driscoll said. “So we wanted to look at the benefits that people could relate to.”

The Clean Power Plan is an initiative created by the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama to reduce the amount of carbon pollution released into the atmosphere by power plants. Power plants were previously allowed to release unlimited carbon emissions, but with the Clean Power Plan, they will be forced to operate under stricter regulations, according to the White House website.

Driscoll said the Clean Power Plan benefits New York state the most, and also at the lowest cost for taxpayers — in part due to its surrounding states.

New York is downwind of states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, which have the poorest air quality and highest emission rates. If these states have better air quality following the implementation of the Clean Power Plan, New York’s air quality will improve as a result. Between 2020 and 2030, New York’s air quality will skyrocket due to decreased air pollution in and around the state, Driscoll said.

The Clean Power Plan provides incentives for participating states and also allows for flexibility in its implementation. Driscoll said the Clean Power Plan will benefit New York because it allows for the greatest elimination of coal.

“It incentivizes renewables, it promotes energy efficiency … so less emissions, better air quality,” he added.

Overall, Driscoll said the Clean Power Plan is designed to move America toward sustainable energy sources, since plants powered by coal will eventually be phased out and replaced with sources of energy that don’t create as much carbon pollution.

Opponents of the plan say that moving away from coal and toward renewable energy would destroy thousands of jobs in coal mines and coal processing plants.

But Peter Wilcoxen, a professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said the plan will neither help nor harm New York’s job economy.

“In the long term, it won’t create or destroy jobs. It will shift jobs around,” said Wilcoxen, who specializes in environmental and energy economics. “There will be less employment in coal mining, but more employment in other sectors of the economy.”

Wilcoxen added that upgrading the power grid in the U.S. to adapt to the transition to renewable energy “would certainly employ a lot of people during the period that it happens.”

As a whole, Driscoll’s study found that the plan’s benefits extend beyond New York’s borders. Under the Clean Power Plan, up to 3,500 lives will be saved, 1,000 hospitalizations will be avoided and 220 heart attacks will be prevented nationwide.

Published on September 16, 2015 at 11:23 pm

Contact Kennedy: krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001