EPA delays CO2 permit requirement for large emitters
The Environmental Protection Agency confirmed Monday that it will not require power plants, refineries or other large carbon dioxide emitters to obtain permits before January 2011.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator has delayed implementation of new regulations because she faced “strong pressure from state regulators, lawmakers and various industry groups.”
Back in October 2009, the EPA first announced its proposal to regulate greenhouse gases emitted by large industrial facilities. That announcement was seen as an effort by the Obama administration to put pressure on Congress to enact climate change legislation. At the time, Ms. Jackson said, “The EPA’s ready to work with Congress but we’re not going to continue with business as usual while we wait for Congress to act.” See GreenLegals EPA to regulate large emitters
In the EPA statement supporting the delated implementation of the regulations, Ms. Jackson is quoted saying, “It gives large facilities the time they need to innovate, governments the time to prepare to cut greenhouse gases and it ensures that we don’t push this problem off to our children and grandchildren.”
Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told a group in South Carolina Monday that the EPA regulations are more heavy-handed than necessary. Graham said he will introduce a bill http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/29/1553879/gops-graham-let-congress-regulate.htmlby the end of April that would preempt the EPA regulations and would promote the twin goals of controlling greenhouse gases and helping the economy.
Further reading:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/1ef65148678fb4fc852576f50059a95b!OpenDocument
http://greenlegals.com/2009/10/epa-to-regulate-large-emitters-of-greenhouse-gases/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304370304575152040858385342.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/29/1553879/gops-graham-let-congress-regulate.html
Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/467162/
Copyright 2010 - K.J.Collins
