Tag: greenhouse gas

SCOTUS Declines Hold on NSPS Regulation

On October 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) declined to put a hold on a Clean Air Act (CAA) regulation for New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) that went into effect on July 8, 2024. The regulation addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs) by: “The justices denied emergency requests […]

EPA Releases 2020 Greenhouse Gas Data

The 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the EPA’s GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP) revealed that reported emissions from large industrial sources were 9% lower than in 2019. The EPA released the information on October 6, 2021, and attributes the decrease to “both the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing, long-term industry […]

Carbon Capture Bills Gathering Steam in Congress

Several bills creating benefits and financing for carbon capture have been introduced in Congress and are seeing movement through bipartisan support.  Carbon capture, also known as carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), is the process of gathering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, typically from sources such as coal-fired power plants. Once captured, the greenhouse gas is […]

Emissions, Clean Air Act

EPA Releases 28th Annual GHG Inventory

On April 14, 2021, the EPA announced in a press release the release of its 28th annual “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHG Inventory), which presents a national-level overview of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2019.”

Washington State

Washington State’s Indirect Emitter Regulation Found Invalid

In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court of Washington State upheld a ruling by a lower court that found that the state’s Department of Ecology (Ecology) exceeded its statutory authority by promulgating a regulation that imposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards on indirect emitters of those gases. According to the majority, the “plain language” of […]

exhaust coming out of car tailpipe

EPA’s Actions on Vehicle GHG Standards Not Reviewable

Seventeen states, the District of Columbia, and seven of the nation’s top environmental groups petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the legality of the Trump EPA’s decision to withdraw the Obama EPA’s January 2017 determination that the Agency’s 2012 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for model year (MY) 2022–2025 […]

Emissions, Clean Air Act

Many Processes—But Few Solutions—for Industrial GHG Emissions

In 2017, industrial activity accounted for 22% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, third behind transportation (29%) and electricity (28%). When adding indirect emissions from the off-site generation of electricity needed to power industrial facilities, the share increases to 29.7%.

EPA Proposes Fixes for GHG Permitting Regs

In its continuing effort to bring its Clean Air Act (CAA) greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations in line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA (UARG v. EPA), the Agency is proposing several amendments to provisions in its Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. Essentially, the proposal describes specific conditions […]

9th Circuit Upholds EPA’s Biomass PSD Permit

In a case that set several precedents, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit denied an appeal from environmental groups seeking to have the court review a final decision by the EPA to grant a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit for a new biomass-burning power plant planned by Sierra […]