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EPA’s Analysis of the American Power Act (APA)
The American Power Act (APA) is draft legislation in the U.S. Senate that would put limits on greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the Administration's climate change goals. EPA has analyzed this draft legislation and concluded that the APA would reduce climate change and increase energy efficiency at a small cost to the average American – less than a dollar a day in today's dollars.
- What Are the Benefits of the APA?
- How Would the APA Reduce Emissions?
- What are the Costs of the APA?
What Are the Benefits of the APA?
The APA would significantly reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to increasing global temperature and other climate changes. Left unchecked, these changes would have severe economic, social, and health impacts on the United States and other nations. (For more information on impacts, see the report Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.)
Keeping Global Temperatures Safe
In 2009, a group of large industrialized nations including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdon, the United States, Canada and Russia agreed to maintain global temperatures at safe levels by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging developing nations to do the same. As a part of these international efforts, the APA would substantially reduce the risk of dangerous global temperature changes.
How Would the APA Reduce Emissions?
The APA would reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging energy efficiency and the use of low-carbon technologies, such as nuclear power and renewable energy.
What Are the Costs of the APA?
EPA's analysis of the APA predicts that it would cost the average American household less than fifty cents a day in 2020. Low-income households would actually be better off in the future with the APA than without it due to the bill's consumer protection programs. Costs would tend to rise over time as emissions are further reduced, but the average cost through 2050 would still be less than a dollar a day per household.
| Average cost per household in 2020 | -$7 to $99 |
| Average annual cost per household from 2010 to 2050 | $79 to $146 |
For More Information
Learn more about EPA's analysis of the APA.