Download or read book Clean Air Issues in the 110th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attention to environmental issues in the 110th Congress has focused early and heavily on climate change -- the state of the science, and whether (and, if so, how) to address greenhouse gas emissions. Six bills had been introduced to establish caps on greenhouse gas emissions as of the end of March, and hearings on climate change have been held by at least seven committees. The Speaker of the House set a June deadline for House committee action on legislation, and established a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to highlight the issue. Four of the six greenhouse gas bills introduced as of this writing would amend the Clean Air Act, establishing a new Title VII to address the issue. More such legislation, as well as free-standing legislation, is likely to be introduced as the session continues. Whether or not climate change legislation would amend the Clean Air Act, climate change hearings and markup are among the highest expressed priorities in the coming months for the committees that have jurisdiction over air issues (principally the Senate Environment and Public Works and House Energy and Commerce Committees). Other clean air issues are less likely to be the main focus of attention, but they may be addressed, especially through oversight of Administration actions. In general, EPA regulatory and procedural actions are likely to be more subject to scrutiny in this Congress, given its intention to reinvigorate the oversight function. Potential oversight issues include: (1) whether EPA's new standards for ambient concentrations of fine particulates and its soon-to-be-proposed standards for ozone adequately reflect the state of the science; (2) whether EPA should continue to regulate lead as one of six pollutants for which it sets national ambient air quality standards; (3) whether the EPA's recently announced changes in the process for setting ambient air quality standards politicize what traditionally have been scientific judgments; and (4) how best to control emissions of mercury and other pollutants from electric power plants. State governments and courts have also taken action on air issues that may have broad implications for EPA and state authority to control greenhouse gases and to regulate power plants. In the more sweeping of the two cases, Massachusetts v. EPA, the Court found that EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles. Other cases involving climate change, clean air standards, and the regulation of power plants are pending at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and in a number of federal and state courts. Decisions in these cases may prompt hearings or legislation. In addition, states interested in setting more stringent environmental standards are continuing to develop and implement regulations that go well beyond the requirements of federal law.
Download or read book Clean Air Act Issues in the 110th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Act Issues in the 110th Congress written by James E. McCarthy and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Crs Report for Congress written by James McCarthy and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-04-27 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attention to environmental issues in the 110th Congress focused early andheavily on climate change - the state of the science, and whether (and, if so, how)to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Seventeen bills had been introducedto establish GHG emission caps as of June 2008, and hearings on climate changewere held by at least 10 committees. The Lieberman-Warner bill to establish a cap-and-trade system for GHG emissions (S. 2191) was reported by the SenateEnvironment and Public Works Committee, May 20, 2008. Senate debate began ona modified version of the bill (S. 3036) June 2 but ended June 6, as the Senate failedto muster sufficient votes to invoke cloture.
Download or read book Clean Air Issues in the 110th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attention to environmental issues in the 110th Congress focused early and heavily on climate change  the state of the science, and whether (and, if so, how) to address greenhouse gas emissions. Five bills had been introduced to establish caps on greenhouse gas emissions as of early March, and hearings on climate change have been held by at least seven committees. The Speaker of the House set a June deadline for House committee action on legislation, and established a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to highlight the issue. Three of the five greenhouse gas bills introduced as of this writing would amend the Clean Air Act, establishing a new Title VII to address the issue. More such legislation, as well as free-standing legislation, is likely to be introduced as the session continues. Whether or not climate change legislation would amend the Clean Air Act, climate change hearings and markup are among the highest expressed priorities in the coming months for the committees that have jurisdiction over air issues (principally the Senate Environment and Public Works and House Energy and Commerce Committees). Other clean air issues are less likely to be the main focus of attention, but they may be addressed, especially through oversight of Administration actions. In general, EPA regulatory and procedural actions are likely to be more subject to scrutiny in this Congress, given its intention to reinvigorate the oversight function.
Download or read book Clean Air Act Oversight written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Air Quality written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the prospect of new layers of complexity being added to air pollution controls, and with electricity restructuring putting a premium on economic efficiency, interest is being expressed in finding mechanisms to achieve health and environmental goals in simpler, more cost-effective ways. The electric utility industry is a major source of air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and mercury (Hg), as well as unregulated greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2). At issue is whether a new approach to environmental protection could achieve the nation's air quality goals more cost effectively than the current system. One approach being proposed is a "multi-pollutant" strategy -- a framework based on a consistent set of emissions caps, implemented through emissions trading. Just how the proposed approach would fit with the current (and proposed) diverse regulatory regimes remains to be worked out; they might be replaced to the greatest extent feasible, or they might be overlaid by the framework of emissions caps. In February 2002, the Bush Administration announced two air quality initiatives. The first, "Clear Skies," would amend the Clean Air Act to place emission caps on electric utility emissions of SO2, NOx, and Hg. Implemented through a tradeable allowance program, the emissions caps would generally be imposed in two phases: 2008 and 2018. The second initiative begins a voluntary greenhouse gas reduction program. This plan, rather than capping CO2 emissions, focuses on improving the carbon efficiency of the economy, reducing current emissions of 183 metric tons per million dollars of GDP to 151 metric tons per million dollars of GDP in 2012. In the 110th Congress, three bills have been introduced that would impose multipollutant controls on utilities. They are all four-pollutant proposals that include carbon dioxide. S. 1168 and S. 1177 are revised versions of S. 2724, introduced in the 109th Congress. S. 1201 is an expanded version of S. 150, introduced in the 109th Congress. All of these bills involve some form of emission caps, beginning in the 2009-2012 time frame, with a second phase in 2013-2015. They would employ a tradeable credit program to implement the SO2, NOx, and CO2 caps while permitting plant-wide averaging in complying with the Hg requirements. The provisions concerning SO2, NOx, and Hg in the 110th Congress bills are generally more stringent than the comparable provisions of S. 131 of the 109th Congress. It is difficult to compare the CO2 caps contained in these bills with the Administration's proposal concerning CO2 -- both because the Administration's proposal is voluntary rather than mandatory and because it is broader (covering all greenhouse gas emissions rather than just utility CO2 emissions).
Download or read book Clean Air Act Oversight written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environmentand Public Works and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 1286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Issues in the 113th Congress written by Congressional Research Service and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-10-21 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the 113th Congress has considered air quality issues, oversight of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory actions has been the main focus. Of particular interest has been EPA's Clean Air Act regulations on emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Reducing GHG emissions to address climate change is a major goal of President Obama, but Congress has been less enthusiastic about it. In the absence of congressional action, the President has directed EPA to promulgate GHG standards using existing authority under the Clean Air Act. This authority has been upheld on at least three occasions by the Supreme Court, but it remains controversial in Congress. EPA's most recent GHG actions have involved power plants. On June 2, 2014, the agency proposed GHG emission standards for existing fossil-fueled (coal, oil, and natural gas) power plants. These plants are the source of one-third of the nation's GHG emissions, so it is difficult to envision a regulatory scheme that reduces the nation's GHG emissions without addressing their contribution. At the same time, affordable and reliable electric power is central to the nation's economy and to the health and well-being of the population. Thus, the effects of the proposed rule on the electric power system are of considerable interest. Even before proposal of the existing power plant standards, the House had passed legislation (H.R. 3826) that would effectively prohibit EPA from promulgating or implementing power plant GHG emission standards. On September 18, 2014, the House passed the same language a second time, in H.R. 2. The Senate has not considered either bill, but it could still be asked to consider similar measures as amendments or riders on other legislation considered likely to pass in the lame duck session. Although it has not finalized the power plant GHG regulations, EPA has implemented permit and Best Available Control Technology requirements for new stationary sources of GHGs under a separate Clean Air Act provision, the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. Minimum thresholds have exempted smaller pollution sources from this program, and few facilities have needed to obtain permits. Nevertheless, EPA's authority to implement these requirements was challenged in court. In a June 23, 2014, decision, the Supreme Court largely upheld EPA's authority. Besides addressing climate change, EPA has taken action on a number of other air pollution regulations, often in response to court actions remanding previous rules. Remanded rules included the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and Clean Air Mercury Rule—rules designed to control the long-range transport of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury from power plants through cap-and-trade programs. Other remanded rules included hazardous air pollutant standards for boilers and cement kilns. The agency has also developed revisions of several existing air standards—in general, the Clean Air Act mandates that existing standards be reviewed periodically and revised if appropriate. On March 3, 2014, EPA revised regulations that limit the sulfur content of gasoline, in conjunction with tighter (“Tier3”) standards for motor vehicle emissions. The agency has also proposed revised standards for wood and pellet stoves and proposed standards for other types of wood heaters for the first time. EPA is also reviewing ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The agency is under court order to complete a proposed revision of the ozone NAAQS by December 1, 2014. NAAQS serve as EPA's definition of clean air for six widespread pollutants, and drive a range of regulatory controls.
Download or read book House Hearing 110th Congress written by U. S. Government Printing Office (Gpo) and published by BiblioGov. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States Government Printing Office (GPO) was created in June 1860, and is an agency of the U.S. federal government based in Washington D.C. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including Congress, the Supreme Court, the Executive Office of the President and other executive departments, and independent agencies. A hearing is a meeting of the Senate, House, joint or certain Government committee that is open to the public so that they can listen in on the opinions of the legislation. Hearings can also be held to explore certain topics or a current issue. It typically takes between two months up to two years to be published. This is one of those hearings.
Download or read book Clean Air Act Oversight Issues written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air ACT Issues in the 116th Congress written by Congressional Research Service and published by . This book was released on 2019-01-11 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Issues in the 112th Congress written by James E. Mccarthy and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-11-22 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air quality has improved substantially in the United States in the 40 years of EPA's Clean Air Act regulation, but more needs to be done, according to the agency's science advisers, to protect public health and the environment from the effects of air pollution. Thus, the agency continues to promulgate regulations addressing air pollution using authority given it by Congress more than 20 years ago. In the 112th Congress, Members from both parties have raised questions about the cost effectiveness of some of these regulations and/or whether the agency has exceeded its regulatory authority in promulgating them. Others in Congress have supported EPA, noting that the Clean Air Act, often affirmed in court decisions, has authorized or required the agency's actions. EPA's regulatory actions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been one focus of congressional interest. Although the Obama Administration has consistently said that it would prefer that Congress pass new legislation to address climate change, such legislation now seems unlikely. Instead, over the last three years, EPA has developed GHG regulations using its existing Clean Air Act authority. EPA finalized GHG emission standards for cars and light trucks on April 1, 2010, and on August 28, 2012, and for larger trucks on August 9, 2011. The implementation of these standards, in turn, triggered permitting and Best Available Control Technology requirements for new major stationary sources of GHGs. It is the triggering of standards for stationary sources (power plants, manufacturing facilities, etc.) that has raised the most concern in Congress: legislation has been considered in both the House and Senate aimed at preventing EPA from implementing these requirements. In the first session of this Congress, the House passed H.R. 1, which contained provisions prohibiting the use of appropriated funds to implement various EPA GHG regulatory activities, and H.R. 910, a bill that would repeal EPA's endangerment finding, redefine “air pollutants” to exclude greenhouse gases, and prohibit EPA from promulgating any regulation to address climate change. In the Senate, H.R. 1 was defeated, and an amendment identical to H.R. 910 (S.Amdt. 183) failed on a vote of 50-50. EPA has taken action on a number of other air pollutant regulations, generally in response to court actions remanding previous rules. Remanded rules have included the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and the Clean Air Mercury Rule—rules designed to control the long-range transport of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury from power plants through cap-and-trade programs. Other remanded rules included hazardous air pollutant (“MACT”) standards for boilers and cement kilns. EPA is addressing the court remands through new regulations, that have now been promulgated. Many in Congress view the new regulations as overly stringent. The House has passed three bills (H.R. 2250, H.R. 2401, and H.R. 2681) to delay or revoke the new standards and change the statutory requirements for their replacements. In addition to the power plant and MACT rules, EPA is also reviewing ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone, particulates, and other widespread air pollutants. These standards serve as EPA's definition of clean air, and drive a range of regulatory controls. The revised NAAQS also face opposition in Congress. As passed by the House, H.R. 2401 would amend the Clean Air Act to require EPA to consider feasibility and cost in setting NAAQS, and H.R. 1633 would prevent EPA from setting standards for ambient concentrations of rural dust.
Download or read book AMENDING THE CLEAN AIR ACT TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE CAPITOL POWER PLANT REPORT REPORT NO 110 254 UNITED STATES CONGRESS 110TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Act Issues in the 106th Congress written by James E McCarthy and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Air Act and its 1990 amendments appear to have contributed to a marked improvement in air quality nationwide. Of nearly 100 metropolitan areas not meeting air quality standards for ozone in 1990, more than two-thirds now do so. Even greater progress has been achieved with carbon monoxide: 36 of 42 areas not in attainment in 1990 now meet the standard. Nevertheless, EPA remains concerned about air pollution. In 1997, the Agency promulgated major revisions to its air quality standards for ozone and particulates, an action that would require most states and urban areas to establish additional controls on a wide range of pollution sources. The revised standards were challenged by numerous parties and the courts have remanded the standards to EPA. Implementation is currently in limbo, pending resolution of appeals by the Supreme Court.
Download or read book Clean Air Act Issues in the 109th Congress written by James E. McCarthy (Specialist in environmental policy) and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Clean Air Act Issues in the 109th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The courts and the executive branch have faced major decisions on clean air issues in 2006, with Congress playing a limited role. One focus has been the EPA Administrator's September 21, 2006 decision regarding air quality standards for fine particles. According to EPA and the consensus of the scientific community, current concentrations of fine particles cause tens of thousands of premature deaths annually. The Administrator's September 21 decision will strengthen the standards; according to the agency, it will reduce premature mortality by 1,200 - 13,000 persons annually. However, many are unhappy that the new standard will not be more stringent -- for the first time ever, it falls outside of a range recommended by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), an independent body established by the Clean Air Act to provide expert scientific advice. On September 29, the seven members of CASAC stated that the Administrator's decision does not provide an adequate margin of safety requisite to protect the public health. In 2005, Congress acted on several Clean Air Act (CAA) issues in legislation that it passed and sent to the President. The most significant of these issues, dealing with ethanol and reformulated gasoline (RFG), were addressed in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, H.R. 6 (P.L. 109-58). Congress also amended the Clean Air Act in H.R. 3 (P.L. 109-59), the transportation bill that the President signed August 10, 2005. H.R. 3 modified the requirement that state and local transportation planners demonstrate conformity between their transportation plans and the timely achievement of air quality standards. Other Clean Air Act amendments have stalled. A bill that would have established a cap-and-trade program for emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and mercury from coal-fired electric power plants (S. 131) was among the first items on the agenda of the 109th Congress: entitled the Clear Skies Act, the bill was scheduled for markup by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee March 9, 2005. But the committee failed to approve it on a 9-9 tie vote, in large part because of complaints that the bill would weaken existing Clean Air Act requirements. Another issue in the debate was whether to cap emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in addition to the other three pollutants. With Clear Skies stalled, EPA finalized the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which will cap emissions of SO2 and NOx from power plants in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia and establish a cap-and-trade system through regulation. A deadline for mercury regulations helped drive the Clear Skies debate: EPA faced a judicial deadline of March 15, 2005, to promulgate standards for power plant mercury emissions. The agency met this deadline, but the specific regulations have been widely criticized. A resolution to "disapprove" (overturn) the regulations under the Congressional Review Act (S.J.Res. 20) was defeated on a vote of 51-47, September 13, 2005, but the courts have yet to rule on challenges filed by 15 states and other groups. Whether to modify other requirements of the Clean Air Act (New Source Review, deadlines for nonattainment areas, and provisions dealing with interstate air pollution) have also been contentious issues. This report replaces CRS Issue Brief IB10137, Clean Air Act Issue in the 109th Congress.
