EPA Rules That Coal Plants Must Limit CO2 Emissions

In a major victory for the Sierra Club, the EPA Environmental Appeals Board ruled on November 13 that the agency has no valid reason for refusing to limit carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants. The ruling essentially stops the permitting of new coal-fired power plants in the near future. Coal plans emit 30 percent of the nation's global warming pollution.

The Sierra Club went before the appeals board in May of this year to request that the air permit for Deseret Power Electric Cooperative's proposed Bonanza coal-fired plant in Utah, which would have emitted 3.37 million tons of CO2 a year, be overturned.

"Today's decision opens the way for meaningful action to fight global warming, and is a major step in bringing about a clean energy economy," says Sierra Club Senior Attorney Joanne Spalding, who argued the case.

"It's fantastic," concurs Environmental Law Program Director Pat Gallagher. "The Environmental Appeals Board oversees all of EPA's permit decisions. They have rejected every excuse the Bush EPA put up for not regulating CO2. Now a new Obama EPA has a clear path to begin regulating CO2."

Building new plants without controlling their carbon emissions would negate much of the progress being made at the state and local level, says Bruce Nilles, Director of the Club's National Coal Campaign. Of the more than 100 proposed coal-fired power plants around the country, 74 have been halted by the Sierra Club and its clean energy allies in recent months.

Comments

[Fred Duggan]

This is great. After decades of polluting our enviroment any advancement we can make to stop this is a positive. We need more victories like this.

[Easy Grow Greenhouses]

Great post and blog! I really enjoyed this post, thanks for that. I look forward to reading your upcoming posts, thanks!