The Environmental Protection Agency moved closer Monday to issuing regulations on greenhouse gases, a step that would enable it to limit emissions across the economy even if Congress does not pass climate legislation. According to an article published today (Dec. 8) in the Washington Post (Steven Mufson and David A. Fahrenthold, EPA is preparing to regulate emissions in Congress’s stead), “[t]he move, which coincided with the first day of the international climate summit in Copenhagen, seemed timed to reassure delegates there that the United States is committed to reducing its emissions even if domestic legislation remains bogged down. But it provoked condemnation from key Republicans and from U.S. business groups, which vowed to tie up any regulations in litigation.
Posts in "Environmental Law" category
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced yesterday a proposal requiring large industrial facilities that emit at least 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) a year to obtain construction and operating permits covering these emissions. These permits must demonstrate the use of best available control technologies and energy efficiency measures to minimize GHG emissions when facilities are constructed or significantly modified.
On September 14, 2009, the European Commission issued a Report to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the application and effectiveness of the directive on strategic environmental assessment (Directive 2001/42/EC- hereinafter the “SEA Directive”) The Report is available here.