BIOMASS HUB

During a Senate hearing Wednesday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson explained the agency’s plans to gradually phase in climate rules for industrial sources in advance of its final rule expected to be finalized later this month.

Jackson was grilled by Senator Murkowski (R-AK) at a hearing before the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee about what the Senator called conflicting statements on whether the Jackson would prefer to curb GHG emissions using regulations or legislation.

Murkowski is leading an effort to overturn the EPA’s “endangerment” finding, which identifies six greenhouse gases that threaten public health and the environment.  Legally, the EPA’s ruling only affects vehicle emissions, but the precedent enables the EPA to regulate other source categories, including facilities subject to Title V permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act.

A timeline of proposed regulations in connection to the agency’s “tailoring” rule is provided below (note that dates and GHG thresholds are likely to change due to the intensity of the debate on Capital Hill):

• 2011: begin phasing in permitting requirements and regulating large stationary sources of greenhouse gases
• 2011-2013: stationary sources that emit less than 75,000 tons will not be subject to permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act
• 2013: the EPA will consider phasing in permitting requirements for the 50,000 threshold

Jackson’s letter in response to Senate Democrats concerned about the reach of EPA’s rules is available here (PDF).