Apple files amicus brief supporting EPA's Clean Power Plan

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2016
Four of the biggest tech companies on the planet -- Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon --?all officially pledged their support for the Environmental Protection Agency's embattled Clean Power Plan on Friday, calling for carbon emissions from power plants to be reduced.




Apple was joined by its competitors in filing an amicus brief on Friday in support of the Obama administration initiative, which finds itself in the midst of a legal wrangling.

In the filing, Apple noted that it generates enough renewable power to cover the use of electricity for 100 percent of its U.S. facilities and 93 percent of its worldwide facilities.

There's been an outcry of support for the EPA this week, including more than 200 current and former members of congress, a coalition of U.S. mayors and local governments, and a coalition of power companies. The plan remains on hold until a D.C. Circuit Court weighs in on a lawsuit over the case which was brought forward by 27 states, led by West Virginia, where more than 30,000 people are employed by the coal business and from where one-tenth of the nation's coal comes.

The EPA rule asserts the authority to regulate power plant emissions under the Clean Air Act, but the states fighting the plan believe the EPA overstepped its bounds.

The EPA filed its own argument in favor of the plan with the D.C. court this week. The agency is scheduled to argue its case in court on June 2, with a decision expected to arrive this fall.

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace praised Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon after the amicus brief was filed in favor of the Clean Power Plan on Friday. They noted that the four companies operate data centers across twelve states, and have used a range of strategies to successfully deploy renewable energy.

"Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft have each committed to powering their operations with 100 percent renewable energy, and they know that achieving these corporate commitments will not be possible without state and federal policy solutions such as the Clean Power Plan that will drive new investment in renewable energy," said Gary Cook, senior energy campaigner for Greenpeace.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    koopkoop Posts: 337member
    :clears throat: *Lets get political, political.*

    Can't wait for the Apple fans who cannot wrap their ahead around the fact they support a liberal company with a liberal CEO.
    moreckmessagepad2100afrodri
  • Reply 2 of 8
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    koop said:
    :clears throat: *Lets get political, political.*

    Can't wait for the Apple fans who cannot wrap their ahead around the fact they support a liberal company with a liberal CEO.
    Don't worry. Hypocrites have a way of justifying their change in position when it conflicts with their previously stated comments.
    moreckmessagepad2100
  • Reply 3 of 8
    bellsbells Posts: 140member
    koop said:
    :clears throat: *Lets get political, political.*

    Can't wait for the Apple fans who cannot wrap their ahead around the fact they support a liberal company with a liberal CEO.
    Yes, because wanting clean air is a liberal position. 
    moreckbaconstangwillett
  • Reply 4 of 8
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    bells said:
    koop said:
    :clears throat: *Lets get political, political.*

    Can't wait for the Apple fans who cannot wrap their ahead around the fact they support a liberal company with a liberal CEO.
    Yes, because wanting clean air is a liberal position. 
    If you pay attention to no nearly all politicians who consider the word liberal as a curse word, you'd see that have repeatedly been behind policies to support certain types of businesses at the detriment to the environment.

    Let's remember that, even in 2016, climate change is considered false by most that classify themselves as conservatives, Right, and/or Republicans, in the US. These are by and large the same people that use religion to back up any claim they want, yet when Pope Francis says something about science that contradicts their myopics beliefs, they tell Francis to let the scientists deal with the science, clearly not aware of Francis' education background.

    Asthma, other respiratory issues, and premature birthes have more and more data every year attributing them to air pollution, but I'm sure that just God working his magic in ways that we can't fathom¡
    moreckmessagepad2100willettafrodri
  • Reply 5 of 8
    It would have been nice if we got at least some explanation as to why states are against the EPA's plan. Otherwise, we're left to assume that they, and anybody else against the plan, hate the environment and want to ruin it to get rich. Which is about as nuanced as the underlying principle upon which computer's operate. Then again, this is AppleInsider, the mystical cyberland where Apple can do no wrong. I don't know why I was expecting balanced and fair journalism. Forget I said anything. 
  • Reply 6 of 8
    cjcampbellcjcampbell Posts: 113member
    But of course. If making billions of dollars with failed projects is your idea of 'responsible,' you can't do much better than Google's Ivanpah plant. For those of us actually footing the bill, though -- perhaps we need to ask a few more tough questions, such as "Will it actually work?" and "How much will it cost?"
  • Reply 7 of 8
    willettwillett Posts: 27member
    For those wanting to understand why this suit, first check who are the plantifs, (this quote from LA Times): "The states that filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia are Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming." Overlay that with a map of coal deposits of the United States and you'll see the connection. Some of the AGs are very explicit that this suit is to protect jobs at home. No utility would build a new coal power plant today, it is more expensive than natural gas in most places, more expensive than wind in Great Plains and coasts.  Massey, Peabody, etc and these coal states serving them are just trying to delay the inevitable closures, the longer they keep ancient generators running, the longer they can stretch out revenues from their sunk costs.  They know they already  lost, this is all about delay and rearguard action.  Look at their market cap if in doubt, e.g. Ticker BTU or ACIIQ for past 5 years. Apple and the other tech companies get it that the external costs are 2x market cost, and they get that tech continues to push wind cost down further below thermal generation. Weirdly, bloggers (here included)  mostly seem to soak up the ideological spin (right or left) and political news (MSNBC, FOX) and have no clue. If you want to understand what's going on, look at energy industry newsletters, EIA annual report on new electricity generation, etc. Notice that you can understand the trends and alliances without any reference to climate change, which is not the primary driver here, but is another nail in the coffin.
    afrodri
  • Reply 8 of 8
    koop said:
    :clears throat: *Lets get political, political.*

    Can't wait for the Apple fans who cannot wrap their ahead around the fact they support a liberal company with a liberal CEO.

    Why does everything have to have a fucking negative spin?
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