House Democrats Urge EPA to Maintain Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants

Strategic Insights -

Congressional Democrats, led by House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Members Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) and SEEC Co-Chair Paul Tonko (NY-20), expressed their concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to repeal all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants. They urge the agency to adhere to its Congressionally mandated responsibility to issue robust standards that limit pollution from these plants. The members argue that EPA's own analysis shows that power plants are responsible for almost a quarter of U.S. GHG emissions, making them the second-largest source of U.S. climate pollution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EPA's proposal to repeal all GHG emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants would sacrifice public health benefits of $129 billion while saving industry just $19 billion.
  • The power sector is the second-largest source of U.S. climate pollution, responsible for almost a quarter of U.S. GHG emissions.
  • EPA's own analysis demonstrates that operators can comply with the rule, even under high demand scenarios, and that the agency has offered no new analysis to support its repeal.
  • The House report on the 1977 Clean Air Act amendments made clear that the committee intends the Administrator to consider all sources of exposure to the contaminant, including food, water, and air, in determining health risk.
  • The Supreme Court has confirmed that U.S. motor-vehicle emissions make a "meaningful contribution" to GHG concentrations, even though the U.S. transportation sector represents less than six percent of global emissions.
  • Independent analysis suggests that the regulations issued by EPA in April 2024 would cut between 68 to 390 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
  • The EPA's rules incentivize utilities and grid operators to reform their processes for connecting energy to the grid, making it easier to bring resources online quicker and meet demand growth.
  • Congress has repeatedly affirmed EPA's authority and obligation under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from air pollution that endangers public health or welfare.

Statistics:

  • The EPA's proposal to repeal all GHG emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants would sacrifice public health benefits of $129 billion while saving industry just $19 billion.
  • The power sector is the second-largest source of U.S. climate pollution, responsible for almost a quarter of U.S. GHG emissions, or about 3 percent of all global climate pollution.
  • The regulations issued by EPA in April 2024 would cut between 68 to 390 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
  • The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided funding and direction for EPA to regulate power plants' carbon pollution using existing authorities, including those in Section 135.
  • The 2024 regulations acknowledged stakeholder feedback on the challenges facing the power sector to meet demand growth while maintaining reliability and affordability.

Sources:

  • Letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, led by Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) and SEEC Co-Chair Paul Tonko (NY-20)
  • House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) press release
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulatory Impact Assessment
  • Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v. EPA (2007)
  • Supreme Court decision, American Electric Power v. Connecticut (2011)
  • D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, American Lung Association v. EPA (2021)
  • Supreme Court decision, West Virginia v. EPA (2023)
  • Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)