R Street’s Lori Sanders joined the American Action Forum’s Douglas Holtz-Eakin and the Brookings Institution’s Adele Morris in a panel discussion examined flaws in the structure of forthcoming EPA regulations for existing power plants and the varying reactions among states to the EPA’s requirements. The Sept. 17 event, co-hosted by R Street and the AAF, also featured a keynote address by Jason Furman, chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.

Overall, the panel agreed that EPA regulations are a poor substitute for a national plan to combat climate change, preferring a nationally applied market mechanism such as a carbon tax to the proliferation of 50 state plans with varying strategies to produce different levels of emissions reduction. The panelists argued the rule’s formula places unfair burdens on some states, particularly those which already have achieved significant emissions reductions. However, given the lack of congressional will for a legislative solution to climate change, the panelists suggested the EPA give states more flexibility as they craft their plans to ensure as little disruption as possible for consumers and industry.

Video from the event is available below:

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