Air

Carbon Tax Adviser Optimistic Despite ‘Tricky’ GHG Rule Preemption Debate

AUSTIN, TX -- An adviser to an industry-backed group pushing for a carbon tax is expressing optimism about the broader policy’s chances in Congress over the next year but says that a portion of the plan to “streamline” EPA’s greenhouse gas regulatory authority in exchange for the tax could be the “trickiest” part to negotiate.

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EPA agrees to improve oversight of smokestack emissions testing

The agency is agreeing to make changes recommended by its Office of Inspector General for improving the reliability of data collected from emissions testing at industrial facilities’ smokestacks.

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White House Begins Review Of EPA-DOT Final Vehicle GHG Rule Rollback

The White House has begun inter-agency review of EPA and the Transportation Department’s (DOT) final rule rolling back Obama-era vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards, amid continued sharp opposition to the plan from California and even a rebuke from some automakers.

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Facing Risks, EPA’s Counsel Defends ‘Bold’ ACE Rule Legal Interpretation

AUSTIN, TX -- EPA General Counsel Matt Leopold is strongly defending the agency’s “bold” legal interpretation in its Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) utility climate rule that the Clean Air Act only allows “inside-the-fence” regulation, despite caution from some that the move carries significant risks for the Trump administration.

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EPA Makes Creative Arguments To Parry Critics Of ACE Climate Rule

EPA is making several creative arguments to parry conservative and environmentalist criticism of its narrow climate standards for existing power plants, including by embracing Obama-era legal interpretations that the agency has threshold power to regulate greenhouse gases even as it roundly criticizes other key legal findings by the prior administration.

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Rejecting Criticism, EPA Moves To Codify NSR ‘Project Accounting’ Guide

EPA Aug. 1 issued its proposed rule that seeks to codify controversial earlier guidance easing new source review (NSR) rules governing “project emissions accounting” while rejecting critics’ claims that it must take additional action to prevent permit applicants from evading in-depth permit review that could trigger tougher pollution controls.

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Wheeler Plan For NAAQS Expert ‘Pool’ Risks ‘Cherry Picking,’ Critics Claim

A “pool” of experts EPA is organizing to assist the agency’s top science advisors with overseeing reviews of federal national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) might give EPA biased advice that could lead to “cherry picking” of scientific data to fit pre-determined policy decisions on revising NAAQS, critics say.

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EPA oil & gas NSPS plan could preclude future rules

An EPA official previewed several “fundamental policy issues” that the agency will tee up in a proposed rule to review the 2016 oil and gas methane new source performance standards.

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EPW Democrats query Wheeler on order to slash advisory panels

Democratic senators on the environment committee are asking the EPA administrator to explain how the agency plans to implement an executive order to eliminate one-third of federal advisory committees.

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D.C. Circuit sets October arguments in three air act cases

In a series of recent orders, the D.C. Circuit is setting up a busy schedule for arguments in three clean air cases in October.

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