The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed repeal of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding could hinge on a single word: “significantly.” The provision’s language asks EPA to determine whether a new stationary source “causes, or contributes significantly” to harmful air pollution.
“‘Contribute significantly’ is not defined in the statute,” Bracewell’s Jeff Holmstead, who served as EPA air chief under President George W. Bush, told Politico’s E&E News. “It’s the sort of term that the administrator has some discretion on.”
“You don’t have to dig into the science, and you don’t need a huge record,” said Holmstead. “You know what power plant CO2 emissions are. We have great data on that. We know that as a percentage of global emissions, they’re continuing to fall. I don’t think that’s a bad argument.”
