The EPA announced two proposals to roll back emission limits for power plants on greenhouse gases (GHG), mercury and particulate matter. Under one proposed rule, the EPA would repeal all GHG emission standards for fossil-fuel-fired power plants, undoing standards instituted during the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden for new and existing plants.
Bracewell’s Jeff Holmstead told Chemical & Engineering News that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to regulate industrial sources if they’re a significant contributor to air pollution. “It’s not terribly surprising that that’s the route they’re taking for power plants,” said Holmstead, who previously served as the head of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. He also noted that what counts as ‘significant’ isn’t a scientific issue but more of a judgment call.
