Epa Air Permit May Present First Stationary Source Co2 Test For Obama

摘要

An ongoing battle over whether an air permit for the proposed Desert Rock power plant in New Mexico must include carbon dioxide (CO2) limits may serve as the first test for the Obama administration on the issue of CO2 limits for stationary sources, after EPA Region IX issued a notice saying such permits do not require CO2 controls. Outgoing Bush EPA officials approved the Region IX notice Jan. 14 and it was posted on the region's Web site Jan. 22, two days after Obama took office. The notice, an addendum to the original permit's statement of basis, cites as the rationale a December 2008 memo by former Bush EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson that prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) permits do not need to include CO2 limits. The issuance of the notice raises the question of whether the incoming Obama administration will quickly reverse that stance. It also comes as Obama Jan. 26 directed EPA to review and likely reverse the Bush administration's denial of California's request to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles - likely laying the groundwork for creating first-time national GHG requirements for mobile sources under the Clean Air Act.