Must-see Video: EPA admits illegal purpose of coal plant rules; Facilitating international treaty talks not allowed by Clean Air Act

This video ought to destroy upcoming EPA’s coal plant rules when challenged in federal court.

In this video, EPA chief Gina McCarthy admits:

1. EPA regulation under the Clean Air Act will be futile; and
2. The real purpose of EPA regulation is to show the international community that the U.S. is willing to take action.

Neither explanation satisfies the Clean Air Act.

Below is EPA’s legal explanation for regulating CO2 from power plants. As the rules will accomplish nothing, they cannot be said to “cause or contribute significantly to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” There is no exception for “looking good” internationally.

###

4. LEGAL BASIS FOR CAA STANDARDS FOR FOSSIL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

a. General Legal Requirements. Clean Air Act section 111 establishes a several step process for the EPA and the States to regulate air pollutants from stationary sources. First, the EPA must list categories of stationary sources that cause or contribute significantly to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Then, the EPA must regulate emissions from new sources in the source category by issuing a standard of performance, which is defined as “a standard for emissions of air pollutants which reflects the degree of emission limitation achievable through the application of the best system of emission reduction which (taking into account * * * cost [and other factors]) * * * has been adequately demonstrated.” New sources include new construction, and, as discussed below, modifications to existing sources as well as reconstructed sources. Standards of performance for new sources are often referred to as new source performance standards (NSPS).

b. Cause-or-Contribute-Significantly Finding for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants and Endangerment Finding for GHG Air Pollution. The EPA is authorized to regulate GHGs from power plants based on earlier actions concerning endangerment. Before today’s rulemaking, the EPA listed different types of fossil fuel-fired EGUs as source categories that caused or contributed significantly to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Specifically, the EPA listed electric utility steam generating boilers, including coal-fired boilers, and initially regulated them in subpart D of its regulations under CAA section 111. Subsequent regulation of utility boilers has been under subpart Da. The EPA listed stationary combustion turbine engines and initially regulated them under subpart GG. The stationary combustion turbine engine portions of combined cycle facilities were also regulated under subpart GG. Heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) associated with combined cycle facilities with duct burners were regulated under either subpart Da or one of the industrial boiler regulations, depending on the specific characteristics of the HRSG. To minimize the compliance burden for owners/operators of combined cycle facilities some monitoring harmonization was done, but the two subparts were still applicable. In 2005, the EPA proposed subpart KKKK as a replacement for subpart GG and specifically covered the entire combined cycle facility under subpart KKKK such that only a single set of requirements would apply. In that same year, the EPA proposed to include Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) facilities under the applicability of subpart Da. The EPA is authorized to promulgate the rulemaking proposed today—which would establish standards of performance for CO 2 emissions from EGUs currently in the Da and KKKK source categories—because the EPA has already determined that both those source categories cause or contribute significantly to air pollution that may reasonably be expected to endanger public health or welfare. Clean Air Act section 111 does not require the EPA, as a prerequisite to regulating any particular air pollutant, to issue an endangerment finding or a cause-or-contribute-significantly finding for that air pollutant from that source category.

As an alternative, the EPA is considering whether CAA section 111 should be interpreted to require that the EPA base its regulation of CO 2 emissions from EGUs on two findings: (i) A finding that GHG air pollution may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare; and (ii) a finding that CO 2 emissions from EGUs cause or contribute significantly to that air pollution. If section 111 were so interpreted, the EPA believes that (a) the 2009 Endangerment Finding, along with the EPA’s 2010 action denying petitions to reconsider that finding (which action reviewed scientific developments after the Endangerment Finding) would fulfill any requirement to make the endangerment finding concerning GHG air pollution; and (b) the large amount of CO 2 emissions from EGUs clearly exceeds the low applicability threshold upon which the EPA would make the cause-or-contribute-significantly finding.

As another alternative, the EPA is also considering whether CAA section 111 should be interpreted to require that the EPA base its regulation of CO 2 emissions from EGUs on a rational basis for protection of the public health or welfare. If section 111 were so interpreted, the EPA believes that (i) its 2009 Endangerment Finding and 2010 denial of petitions to reconsider, by themselves, and particularly in conjunction with the National Academy of Sciences’ assessment reports issued since then, coupled with (ii) the fact that EGUs are the largest stationary source emitters of CO 2, provide a rational basis for regulating CO 2 emissions from EGUs. There is no reason to revisit the 2009 Endangerment Finding given recent scientific findings that strengthen the scientific conclusion that GHG air pollution endangers public health and welfare.