EPA to Review Bush Rules on Emissions
The Washington Post reported today that the Environmental Protection Agency said it would reopen the possibility of regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, tossing aside a December Bush administration memorandum that said the agency would not limit those emissions.
The decision could be the first step toward regulating greenhouse gasses emitted by coal plants, an issue that has ignited a fight between the coal industry and environmentalists since April 2007, when the Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide be subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act.
The coal industry has opposed carbon dioxide emission regulation arguing that it should be left to Congress to set policy, and that current emission-capturing technology is expensive and untested. Environmental groups, however, are urging the new administration to block air permits for new coal-fired power plants and rely on renewable energy to meet the country's power needs.
For the full story, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021701302.html?hpid=topnews