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EPA’s Clean Power Plan: A Regional Analysis

New EPA Regulation To Cut Emissions From Coal-Fired Plants In US

EPA’s recently issued Clean Power Plan affects every state differently.

Year in Preview: 2015 Heralds Big Changes Under the Clean Air Act

EPA's Michael Leavitt Signs Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a robust Clean Air Act agenda for 2015. Not only has a new interstate pollution and allowance trading regime kicked in (effective Jan. 1), but the agency has announced that it will publish final carbon standards this summer for new and existing power plants and embark on an aggressive strategy to reduce methane emissions.

Three Obstacles to EPA’s O3 Rule: Industry Opposition, Implementation, and Congressional Oversight

The EPA Proposes Stricter Standards For Smog Limit

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed revising the national air quality standard for ozone, the key pollutant in smog and regional haze. EPA acknowledges that the rule will cost billions of dollars each year to implement. Industry fears the additional regulatory costs, and environmentalists assert the rule does not restrict ozone enough. Select jurisdictions with high levels of background ozone, particularly Western states, will find it more difficult to reach attainment, and current mechanisms to account for naturally-occurring ozone spikes may prove inadequate. Republican leaders in the House and Senate have signaled their intention to oppose the rule in legislation. The EPA must navigate these complex issues as it prepares to finalize the rule by October 1, 2015.

epahearings_0

A federal appeals court has rejected portions of revisions to EPA’s 2008 ozone rule that would delay compliance deadlines and revoke transportation conformity requirements. On December 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated portions of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone.  The court… Keep reading →

epahearings_0

A federal appeals court has lifted the stay of EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule which addresses interstate transport of air pollution that affects downwind states’ ability to meet air quality standards. On October 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to lift… Keep reading →