Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 10:37AM The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely modify its proposed permitting requirements for greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources, and will delay implementation until 2011.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 1:44PM While legislation to regulate greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions may be facing an uphill battle in the Senate, lawsuits claiming global warming damages are becoming a real issue for emitters of GHGs. In late 2009, two circuits of the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals made threshold determinations that plaintiffs in suits based on global warming had standing to bring such claims into court.
Monday, December 7, 2009 at 11:51AM The E.P.A. administrator, Lisa P. Jackson has scheduled a news conference for 1:15 p.m. on December 7, 2009, where she is expected to announce the Environmental Protection Agency’s final determination that greenhouse gases pose a danger to human health and the environment. The move paves the way for regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, power plants, factories refineries and other major sources under the Clean Air Act.
Copenhagen, EPA, climate change, greenhouse gases in Climate Change Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 10:39AM On November 9, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced that it sent its final greenhouse gas endangerment finding to the White House for review. The EPA did not release a copy of the finding, a draft of which was published in April 2009. The proposed finding sets forth EPA’s position that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, and therefore can be regulated by the EPA as a pollutant.
The Office of Management and Budget has up to 90 days to review the proposal. If approved, the endangerment finding would provide the basis for EPA to regulate and curb greenhouse gas emissions, even if the U.S. Congress does not pass climate change legislation.
According to Reuters, the EPA also proposed a finding that greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to the release of greenhouse gases and contribute to this endangerment. If approved, this finding would allow the government to regulate vehicle emissions by increasing vehicle gas mileage standards. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the government is facing a “hard deadline” of March 2010 to let automakers know of the changes to fuel economy standards that would affect 2012 model vehicles.
EPA, greenhouse gases, regulation in Climate Change Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 10:41AM On September 15, 2009, U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced a proposed rule establishing an national program regulating light-duty vehicular emissions. The proposed rule, entitled “Proposed Rulemaking to Establish Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards,” would cover emissions from vehicle model years 2012 through 2016. Under this jointly-proposed rule, according to the EPA and DOT, automobile manufacturers will be able to build a single, light-duty national fleet that satisfies all federal requirements as well as the standards of California and other states. The proposed program includes miles per gallon requirements under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (“CAFE”) program and the first set of national emissions standards under EPA’s greenhouse gas program.