DOE EFFICIENCY STANDARD HINTS AT BENEFITS ANALYSIS FOR CO2 RULES

摘要

A recent Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation rule includes a new analysis that may indicate the method the Obama administration will use to estimate the benefits of carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions from future emission controls, which could be used to justify the stringency of such controls. While the analysis in the DOE rule falls short of requests by some state officials for methodologies that could be used to justify especially stringent emission regulations, it cites preliminary conclusions from interagency deliberations and includes an initial "central interim value" for carbon benefits almost three times greater than the Department of Transportation cited in its proposed fuel efficiency regulation issued last year.