---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fred Heutte phred@sunlightdata.com Date: Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 2:17 PM Subject: E&E: White House greenlights EPA power plant rules To: COAL-CAMPAIGN-ALERTS@lists.sierraclub.org

White House greenlights EPA power plant rules

Gabriel Nelson, E&E reporter

Published: Tuesday, December 20, 2011

U.S. EPA's new rules for toxic emissions from coal- and oil- burning power plants have been cleared for release by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Friday was the deadline for EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to sign the final standards, which would set the first federal limits on chemicals such as mercury, acid gases and dioxins. After a two-month review that included about 20 meetings at the White House, the agency has permission to release them, according to a change made today to a White House rulemaking database.

That step usually signals the imminent release of a rule, and several sources briefed on the standards said they expect EPA to come out with them soon. Yet the agency has kept mum.

"We will make details available when we are ready to make an announcement," an EPA spokeswoman wrote in an email. "As we have made clear, any standard will maximize flexibilities, while providing extensive public health protections from dangerous pollutants."

The White House finished reviewing two rules Friday.

One is the "appropriate and necessary finding," which says toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired plants have measurable health effects that justify subjecting all plants to an emissions standard. After reaching that conclusion, which EPA first did in 2000, the agency must set emissions limits based on maximum achievable control technology (MACT) already in use.

The White House also gave the agency permission to release the MACT standards, which have gotten push-back from some coal- burning utilities because they would drive hundreds of plants to undergo major renovations or shut down over the next several years.

House Republicans passed a bill this fall that would delay the rules, loosen their requirements and give power companies more time to add pollution controls. Sen. James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who leads his party on the Environment and Public Works Committee, says he, too, will introduce a resolution to nullify the rules after their release.

Paul Billings, vice president for national policy and advocacy at the American Lung Association, said he expects EPA to release the rules soon. Under the settlement, the agency has five business days from this past Friday to submit the finalized rule for publication in the Federal Register.

EPA says curbing toxic emissions would have a wide range of health benefits, including stopping thousands of people from dying each year by cleaning up soot from power plants.

"The rule should be released so the public can see the benefits," Billings said.

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