ISSUE: Clean Air Report

EPA Sets Ambitious Policy Agenda For 2019 But Shutdown Creates Doubts

EPA's just-released “year in review” report for fiscal year 2018 pledges an ambitious policy agenda that includes major efforts to undo or overhaul Obama-era regulations, but current and former agency staffers say the recent government shutdown creates significant doubts over whether EPA can keep its agenda on track. The 44-page summary of EPA’s work in the past calendar year -- released Jan. 28 as its first prominent announcement since the shutdown ended Jan. 25 -- combines new announcements, such as...

Municipalities, Environmentalists Attack EPA Ozone NAAQS Designations

Illinois, local governments in Colorado and New Mexico, and environmentalists in a new legal filing are attacking EPA’s abrupt reversal designating areas of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin as attaining the 2015 ozone standard after previously proposing to find them in nonattainment, claiming EPA lacked justification for the change. In their opening brief filed Jan. 25 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Clean Wisconsin, et al. v. EPA, petitioners accuse former Trump EPA...

Biofuels supporters say EIA forecast justifies renewable fuel boost

Biofuels advocacy group Growth Energy says the federal Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest forecast of transportation fuel demand and prices bolsters its case for increasing renewable fuel sales, because the Annual Energy Outlook predicts demand for motor fuel will grow substantially along with rising oil prices. The just-released outlook for 2019 predicts a substantial rise in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and also gasoline prices from 2018 to 2050, driven by rising population, incomes and crude oil prices, says Growth Energy’s...

Longest EPA Shutdown Ends With Stopgap Funding, Environmental Fears

EPA is poised to reopen after lawmakers and President Donald Trump agreed to a stopgap measure funding the agency at existing levels through Feb. 15, but there is no guarantee against another shutdown once that funding expires and environmentalists warn the existing shutdown has already caused significant environmental damage. The shutdown “has been a disaster for federal workers and our fellow citizens since the day it began. Congress and the Trump administration should follow-up this agreement with a long-term plan...

Democrats Eye Early Deals On Modest Climate Policies Before Bigger Bills

House Democrats are contemplating bipartisan deals on power grid modernization, fixing pipeline leaks and energy efficiency as initial steps to address climate change, according to a top staffer on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who adds such efforts would come before more ambitious steps to tackle the growing threat. The staffer's remarks came during a Jan. 24 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where local leaders said they are crafting calls for federal officials to enact bold climate...

States Seek Tight Legal Deadlines On EPA Landfill Methane Implementation

Democratic states and environmental groups that are challenging EPA’s failure to implement an Obama-era rule to limit emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane at landfills are asking a federal district judge to impose tight timelines for the agency to take a series of steps required by the rule. The state and environmentalist coalition outlines its requested timeline in a Jan. 22 motion for summary judgment in State of California, et al. v. EPA , in U.S. District Court for...

As Democratic Field Takes Shape, NRDC Seeks Aggressive Climate Targets

As the Democratic presidential primary field begins to take shape, environmentalists are hoping that a new administration will usher in aggressive climate mitigation policies early in the next decade, arguing that action by the United States to get “back on track” toward achieving long-term emissions goals can help meet the objectives of the Paris climate deal. “What the next administration will need to do is clearly put on the table stronger climate targets for 2030 and beyond, and deliver a...

Hill Battle Over 'Clean' Energy Looms Over Democrats' Climate Debate

Democrats' efforts to craft ambitious federal climate policies in the new Congress are reviving debates over whether such measures should focus solely on renewable technologies such as wind and solar or whether they should include a broader suite of low-carbon approaches such as nuclear energy and fossil energy paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS). A new wave of progressive climate advocates are pushing for a shift to 100 percent renewable electricity over the next dozen years or so, but...

Former CASAC Members, Scientists Urge Broader EPA PM NAAQS Review

Former members of a terminated specialized EPA particulate matter (PM) advisory panel and hundreds of scientists are urging the agency to reinstate the panel for the ongoing review of the PM national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), or risk producing an inadequate review that could be vulnerable to potential legal challenges. “The myriad of changes to the [NAAQS] review process are collectively harmful to the quality, credibility, and integrity of the scientific review process,” says a Dec. 10 letter to...

Wheeler Gives Uncertain Defense Of CO2 Levels In Power Plant NSPS Rollback

Correction Appended Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is offering a relatively uncertain defense of the carbon dioxide standards in the agency's just-proposed rollback of Obama-era requirements for new coal plants, telling reporters that the proposed limits might be tightened in response to comments on the plan. During his Dec. 6 rollout of the plan at agency headquarters, Wheeler sought to focus on the part of the proposal that would remove a de facto requirement that new coal plants...

Xcel's Ambitious Carbon-Free Goal At Odds With EPA Climate Rollbacks

A major utility with operations in eight Western and Midwestern states is vowing to sharply cut greenhouse gases over the next decade and eliminate all carbon emissions by 2050, expanding on moves by other utilities in the region to quickly drop coal despite the Trump EPA's ongoing efforts to rescind Obama-era climate rules and encourage new coal plants. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy, which serves parts of eight states -- Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin...

NACAA Faults Eased EPA Auto Parts Enforcement, Seeks Strict Air Limits

The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) is faulting EPA's plan to revise and ease its enforcement policy on tampering with aftermarket auto emissions control parts such as catalytic converters by warning that it will not adequately protect air quality, and is calling on the agency to instead pursue strict new emissions rules for the parts. In a Nov. 29 letter to EPA air and enforcement officials , the co-chairs of the NACAA mobile sources and fuels panel...

CASAC Members Urge More Time, Special Panel For Ozone NAAQS Review

Members of EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory (CASAC) committee are urging the agency to give them more time for their review of the ozone ambient air limit and also revive a disbanded special panel to assist the review, warning that the current process is too quick and could undermine the quality of their scientific advice. The seven members of the chartered CASAC held a Nov. 29 call to discuss EPA's Integrated Review Plan (IRP) that details the schedule and scope...

Automakers Resist CAFE 'Freeze' Amid Mixed Messages On Next Steps

Automakers are rejecting EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) “preferred” option to freeze vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards, but are also sending mixed messages on the level of stringency they would accept and on how hard to push back against California's authority to retain the current limits. In addition, one auto industry group in comments on the Trump administration's rollback plan slams as “not consistent with reality” crucial modeling assumptions that support the bulk of...

Automakers Send Muddled Signals On California Vehicle GHG Authority

Automakers are reiterating their view that preempting California from regulating vehicle greenhouse gases and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales makes poor strategic sense, even though they are sympathizing with federal officials' legal arguments in their proposal that would scrap the state's authority. Meanwhile, the Golden State and its environmentalist allies are issuing pointed legal critiques of the Trump administration's preemption plan, underscoring their readiness to aggressively challenge the move in the courts. It is not clear how the auto industry's mixed...

Prospects For Vehicle GHG Deal Fade As EPA, California Trade Charges

Prospects for a deal between the Trump administration and California over vehicle greenhouse gas standards appear to have evaporated after officials from the two sides blamed the other for a breakdown in talks, increasing prospects that the issue is going to be resolved after a lengthy and high-profile court battle. As the deadline for submitting comments on the Trump administration's proposed rollback of vehicle GHG standards drew to a close Oct. 26, California leaders lobbed a bevy of detailed legal...

Senators Say Legislative History Blocks Attack On State Vehicle GHG Rules

Democratic senators are ramping up their legal attacks on EPA's proposal to preempt California's authority to enforce strong vehicle greenhouse gas rules, part of the Trump administration's plan to freeze Obama-era standards, arguing Congress over a decade ago specifically rejected proposals that would have curbed the state's power. The push-back surfaces in an Oct. 25 letter to EPA and the Department of Transportation -- submitted just as EPA prepares to receive thousands of comments on its proposal -- from Democrats...

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