Clean Air Issues in the 110th Congress PDF Download

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Category : Air
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
Attention to environmental issues in the 110th Congress has focused early and heavily on climate change -- the state of the science, and whether (and, if so, how) to address greenhouse gas emissions. Six bills had been introduced to establish caps on greenhouse gas emissions as of the end of March, and hearings on climate change have been held by at least seven committees. The Speaker of the House set a June deadline for House committee action on legislation, and established a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to highlight the issue. Four of the six greenhouse gas bills introduced as of this writing would amend the Clean Air Act, establishing a new Title VII to address the issue. More such legislation, as well as free-standing legislation, is likely to be introduced as the session continues. Whether or not climate change legislation would amend the Clean Air Act, climate change hearings and markup are among the highest expressed priorities in the coming months for the committees that have jurisdiction over air issues (principally the Senate Environment and Public Works and House Energy and Commerce Committees). Other clean air issues are less likely to be the main focus of attention, but they may be addressed, especially through oversight of Administration actions. In general, EPA regulatory and procedural actions are likely to be more subject to scrutiny in this Congress, given its intention to reinvigorate the oversight function. Potential oversight issues include: (1) whether EPA's new standards for ambient concentrations of fine particulates and its soon-to-be-proposed standards for ozone adequately reflect the state of the science; (2) whether EPA should continue to regulate lead as one of six pollutants for which it sets national ambient air quality standards; (3) whether the EPA's recently announced changes in the process for setting ambient air quality standards politicize what traditionally have been scientific judgments; and (4) how best to control emissions of mercury and other pollutants from electric power plants. State governments and courts have also taken action on air issues that may have broad implications for EPA and state authority to control greenhouse gases and to regulate power plants. In the more sweeping of the two cases, Massachusetts v. EPA, the Court found that EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles. Other cases involving climate change, clean air standards, and the regulation of power plants are pending at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and in a number of federal and state courts. Decisions in these cases may prompt hearings or legislation. In addition, states interested in setting more stringent environmental standards are continuing to develop and implement regulations that go well beyond the requirements of federal law.