Electric Co-op Today

An Environmental Protection Agency proposal that represents another step toward regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources is fundamentally flawed and could hurt the nation’s economy, NRECA told the agency.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson talks about regulation of greenhouse gases. (Photo By: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

“The agency stands at the precipice of a massive regulatory leap, yet provides no assessment of the implications of its actions on large stationary sources, such as power plants and manufacturing facilities, or the overall economy,” NRECA said in a detailed, 16-page critique of EPA’s proposed rule.

“This is more than a procedural flaw in EPA’s rulemaking process,” the association continued in comments submitted Dec. 28. “It is an unprecedented failure to assess the true impacts of its actions and consider less costly, available options.”

NRECA’s comments were directed at EPA’s proposal to increase the threshold at which stationary sources of greenhouse gases would presumably fall under the Clean Air Act’s permitting requirements once the agency finalizes its rule, anticipated this spring, to control greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles.

The “tailoring” rule, which relates to the agency’s finding that carbon dioxide represents a public health hazard, would exempt plants, industries and other facilities that exceed 100 or 250 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, depending on the source category, but less than 25,000 tons.

NRECA has called on EPA to step back from unilateral regulation of carbon dioxide, saying that Congress should address the matter through climate change legislation because the Clean Air Act was not designed for that purpose.

Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas