EPA rules Ariz. power plants must upgrade

http://www.bensonnews-sun.com ^ | november 18, 2012

[lowbridge]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency met a deadline Thursday on a plan to control emissions from three Arizona power plants that it contends have impaired visibility at places like the Grand Canyon.

The Associated Press reports that the EPA had proposed approving Arizona's air-quality plan to reduce sulfur dioxide and soot at the Apache coal-fired plant in Cochise, along with the Cholla and Coronado plants. But when it came to nitrogen oxide emissions, the EPA suggested the state's plan didn't go far enough and came up with one of its own.

The conflict highlights the tension between the EPA and businesses after an election season in which the notion of heavy-handed environmental regulations became a popular argument for Republican candidates. Arizona and the administration of Republican Gov. Jan Brewer contend the EPA's proposals would cost hundreds of millionsof dollars, causing utility rates to sharply increase for residents.

Instead of low nitrogen-oxide burners, the EPA hinted it might require that some of plants' older units be equipped with selective catalytic reduction technology to keep 17,000 tons nitrogen oxide from being released into the air and causing visibility issues at 18 national parks and wilderness areas.

[molson209]

no just Obsessed With Control

[HiTech RedNeck]

INJUNS DEFEND FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO MAKE SMOKE SIGNALS!

[Mr Rogers]

There is no haze. I was at the Four Corners area and the Grand Canyon last month. In all the years I’ve visited, I’ve never seen “haze” there. This is absolute BS!

That part of the country probably has the cleanest air anywhere. You normally can see 60 miles. At one overlook, I could see a mountain that was about 120 miles away.

[HiTech RedNeck]

In the end the same, remember the brouhaha about crucifying their enemies?

[molson209]

you can shut down everything ,but China and India will keep pumping 100 times more

[HiTech RedNeck]

purple haze... is in the epa’s brain
somehow things just don’t seem the same
acting strange, and i don’t know why

[Not a 60s Hippy]

The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station power plant located in Tonopah, Arizona,is about 45 miles west of central Phoenix. It is the largest nuclear generation facility in the United States, averaging over 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of electrical power production in 2008. Arizona should use all of this power for Arizona only! Let California build their own power plants. Palo Verde could pick up some of the lost power caused by the federal restrictions!

[RicocheT]

I could be wrong, but aren’t these coal fired electric generating plants burning coal from open pit coal mines on Indian land. Some years back the Indians let in the coal miners in order to increase tribal revenue. The lease payments and extraction payments have become very important to the tribe as payments trickle down to every member on the tribal lands and even some away in cities. They don’t have the casino deals as there are few population centers near the tribal lands as the Vegas crowd (Harry Reid’s paymasters) have fought Indian casinos.

What happens to these Indians when the EPA essentially shuts down the electric plants and the mines lose their biggest and almost only customer? Will Great Leader Obama take care of his red/brown brothers?

[bubbacluck]

I repeated to myself the words, "environmental protection agency" about a half dozen times, very slowly, with special emphasis on "protection".

I drifted into an altered state of Orwellian bliss and strangely, the numbers 1984 appeared as if in a vision, floating in front of my eyes!.

Try it, it's really cool!

[Amendment10]

There are two major constitutional problems with the EPA, and other so-called "independent federal regulatory agencies," imo. To begin with, the Founding States made THE VERY FIRST numbered clauses in the Constitution, Sections 1-3 of Article I, to clarify that ALL federal legislative powers are vested in the ELECTED members of Congress. So Congress has a constitutional monopoly on all federal legislative powers whether it wants it or not. And by delegating federal legislative powers to third party agences, Congress is wrongly protecting such powers from the wrath of the voters imo.

Here's Section 1 of Article I:

All (emphasis added) legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

In other words, the only reason that I can figure that cititizens and businesses reluctantly ask the EPA, "how high," when the EPA dictates, "Jump!," is because citizens are not being taught constitutional limits on federal government powers in the nation's schools.

Also, what's even worse than Congress unconstitutionally delegating regulatory powers to constitutonally undefined federal agencies like the EPA is this imo. The states have never delegated to Congress via the Constitution the specific power to regulate environmental issues, the 10th Amendment clarifying in general that the Constituton's silence about such things means that such issues are automatically uniquely state power issues. So not only is Congress wrongly delegating legislative powers to rogue federal agencies, but Congress is delegating powers which the states have never delegated to Congress via the Constitution.

Finally, it wouldn't surprise me if Congress's unconstitutonal delegation of federal regulatory powers to agencies like the EPA is nothing more than smoke-and-mirrors way for corrupt Congress to bypass its Article V requirement to petition the states for specific new powers via constitutional amendments.

What a mess! :^(

[Josa]

She’s certainly blowing up like a balloon. So either sniffing or eating way too much sugar. Uh oh, moochelle isn’t gonna be happy about that.

[dr_lew]

Here is a view of the Beijing area ( top left center ) on Christmas day, 2007. This is the worst I've ever seen it ( although I haven't really been looking lately ) but the pollution is there is often shockingly bad. The type of thing the EPA is harping on in AZ is 1/100 or even 1/1000 as bad. To me, the gloss of Chinese pollution in public discussion is an outrageous fact in itself.

[SandRat]

EPA is messing with the state again.

[octex]

Your posting capsules the situation. The AGs of many States should jointly file suit in Federal Courts (to elevate to SCOTUS) to abolish such regulatory agencies like the EPA.

[Right Wing Assault]

impaired visibility at places like the Grand Canyon

Next, I bet obama is going to close the Grand Canyon since the numerous visitors are spoiling the natural environment.

[Venturer]

A lot of people live in the Grand Canyon, we have to hold down the pollution there for their safety.

[meyer]

I wouldn’t upgrade, I’d just shut them down. Welcome to the third world.

Alternately, I’d tell the USEPA to go pound sand, arm up, and challenge them to MAKE me upgrade.

[crosshairs]

Wonder if this is part of the revenge Jarrett said was coming after Obama was elected.

Just think what they have in store for Koch Industries.

[bert]

Amen......

If the EPA sends inspectors, put them in jail

[hal ogen]

Has anyone from the east coast been out to the west lately? What pollution, you inner-city-hazed morons? You can see for miles and miles on ANY day. This EPA stuff is utter bullcr*p. It is like when I was a kid and some self-promoting french clod named Jacques Cousteau taught us from his documentaries that the oceans are filled with plastic and assorted pollutants. They aren’t.