On December 23rd, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement agreement to establish national emission standards that will address the greenhouse gas pollution from new and existing fossil fuel power plants.
EPA will issue a draft of the standards by July 26, 2011, and then take final action by May 26, 2012. The settlement agreement is with: the states of New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington; the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the District of Columbia; the City of New York; Environmental Defense Fund; Natural Resources Defense Council; and Sierra Club.
The settlement agreement provides for EPA action to address legal deficiencies identified in litigation commenced in 2006 by these parties when EPA refused to address greenhouse gas pollution in establishing national emission standards for power plants. EPA’s 2006 action was based on an interpretation of the Clean Air Act rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
EDF President Fred Krupp made the following statement:
“Power plants are one of the largest sources of air pollution in America, but the solutions are at hand to create cleaner, healthier air while also building a stronger clean energy economy.
“EPA’s commitment to address the dangerous, climate-disrupting pollution from power plants through common sense national standards will provide important environmental protections and will create economic certainty for vibrant new investments. This is a step that will allow us to protect our children’s health and our prosperity.”
-Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund President
U.S. power plants are one of the single largest sources of airborne contaminants. They discharge more than 30 percent of all global warming pollution in America, about 40 percent of our toxic mercury, and almost two-thirds of our sulfur dioxide (which transforms into deadly fine particulate pollution and contributes to acid rain).
EPA also announced a settlement agreement to address pollution limits for refineries today; that proposal is due by next December, and final action is due in 2012.
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