Category — Environmental News

On October 6, 2011, the EPA proposed what it is referring to as “technical adjustments” to the final Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (“CSAPR”).  According to the EPA, the adjustments are needed to correct errors made in certain unit specific modeling assumptions and to smooth the transition from the Clean Air Interstate Rule (“CAIR”) to CSAPR.  A summary of the proposed adjustments is as follows: [Read more →]

The House of Representatives on Friday passed H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act (“TRAIN Act”).  The Act establishes an interagency federal panel to assess the cumulative impact of various EPA regulations and requires that the panel issue its report by next August.  The bill prevents EPA from proceeding with its recently promulgated Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (“CSAPR”) and finalizing its proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”) rule. [Read more →]

On September 19, 2011, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote a letter to Federal Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff requesting that he clarify the Commission’s plans to address threats to the nation’s bulk power system as a result of the pending Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) regulations.  Senator Murkowski’s September 19th letter builds upon the issues identified in her May 17, 2011 letter, and addresses the August 1, 2011 response of Chairman Wellinghoff. [Read more →]

On September 14, 2011, the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power held a hearing to explore the impact of current and pending EPA utility regulations on electric system reliability.  In a somewhat unusual event, all five members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) testified before the subcommittee about FERC’s role in studying the reliability impact of EPA regulations. [Read more →]

Citing a goal of “reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty,” the Obama Administration on September 2 instructed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to withdraw its proposal to strengthen national ambient air quality standards for ozone.  The surprise move was the first time President Obama explicitly and completely rejected an EPA regulation, creating a firestorm of criticism from environmentalists and key Democrats and praise from industry groups and Republicans. [Read more →]