States, Environmental Groups Oppose EPA Power-Plant Emissions Repeal

The objections were raised Thursday during an Environmental Protection Agency meeting, according to Bloomberg Law, which reported that participants criticized the administration’s proposed repeal and its underlying economic rationale.

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The EPA proposal would remove the remaining federal greenhouse-gas emissions requirements applying to fossil fuel-fired power plants. According to Bloomberg Law, the agency has based the proposed change in part on its interpretation of the Clean Air Act, arguing that the statute does not give the EPA authority to regulate power-plant emissions for the purpose of addressing global climate change.

The administration has also emphasized the potential financial benefits of eliminating the requirements.

In a Sept. 17 statement cited by Bloomberg Law, the EPA estimated that its proposal would reduce regulatory costs by $370 million over a 20-year period. The agency also said the change could produce billions of dollars in additional savings for households and businesses by reducing regulatory burdens.

Opponents of the proposal challenged that economic reasoning at Thursday’s meeting, according to Bloomberg Law. Their objections add to the debate over how far the EPA’s authority extends under federal clean-air law and how the government should account for the costs and benefits of regulating greenhouse-gas emissions from the power sector.

The proposal is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reverse federal climate regulations affecting fossil-fuel power generation. Any final action by the EPA could also face legal challenges over the agency’s interpretation of its authority under the Clean Air Act.

Source: Bloomberg Law