Posted on 04/21/2010 6:49:24 AM PDT by EBH
A historic agreement reached between environmental and public health organizations and EPA will regulate the toxic air emissions from the nation’s existing and new coal- and oil-fired electric power plants to the maximum achievable extent. The agreement was approved by U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer of the District of Columbia after a public hearing held on April 13, 2010. Under the terms of the agreement, national standards will be finalized by November 16, 2011.
“EPA’s own data show that coal- and oil-fired power plants are the largest unregulated industrial emitters of toxic air emissions, including mercury, arsenic, nickel, chromium, cadmium, acid gases, and dioxins. EPA has been in a position to regulate this industry since 2000, and this landmark decision is a huge win in creating a healthier environment for all Americans,” said Ann B. Weeks, who represented environmental and public health plaintiffs The Ohio Environmental Council, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Izaak Walton League of America, Environment America, and Conservation Law Foundation, at the oral argument before the court.
“We welcome the court’s decision,” said Earthjustice attorney James Pew, who represented Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund in the case. “It ends the litigation and lets the real work begin: cleaning our air and water of the toxins that coal- and oil-fired power plants have been filling them with for far too long.”
Other attorneys on the briefs included John Suttles of the Southern Environmental Law Center, for the American Nurses Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility; John Walke for the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jon Mueller for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; and Scott Edwards for Waterkeeper Alliance.
Copy past to PDF of ruling: http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legal_docs/oil-coalplantcd_04-15-2010.pdf
Hold on to your wallet.
But nuclear power is bad.................
I think this amounts to cap and trade...
Obama: “Ef’ you America! This was MY campaign promise that you must live with. Go suck on a wind turbine.”
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
There go our electric bills.
He who controls the spice controls the universe.............
I’m sick and tired of these robed robbers and psychotic tree huggers...
Elections have consequences.
I wonder what happens if the utilities say they cannot meet the standards and shut the plants down. Sometimes I think we are not “cruel” enough in our response to overbearing regulations. If they want them shut down, do so.
If you think people are pissed with 0bama now, wait until the rolling brownouts start.
What electricity?
It’s all part of the ‘smart grid’ control plan.
Under the terms of the agreement, national standards will be finalized by November 16, 2011.
Except for an important intervening event that occurs November 2, 2010...
When developing a MACT standard for a particular source category, the EPA looks at the current level of emissions achieved by best-performing similar sources through clean processes, control devices, work practices, or other methods. These emissions levels set a baseline, often referred to as the “MACT floor” for the new standard. At a minimum, a MACT standard must achieve, throughout the industry, a level of emissions control that is at least equivalent to the MACT floor.
The EPA can establish a more stringent standard when it makes economic, environmental, and public health sense to do so.
The MACT floor differs for existing sources and new sources.
* For existing sources, the MACT floor must equal the average current emissions limitations achieved by the best-performing 12 percent of sources in the source category, if there are 30 or more existing sources.
Jack up the price of oil so they can't travel, tax everything that moves and tell them that everything about them is bad, no wait that is what they are doing!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.