BIOMASS HUB

As reported by Biomass Intel yesterday, the EPA will field questions today about its FY2011 budget.

In anticipation of the hearing, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson issued a letter responding to a letter sent to her the evening of February 19 by eight U.S. Senators asking about the agency’s plans for 2010.  The letter provides an insight into the agency’s regulatory strategy for the next two years.

In the letter, the administrator outlines several of the decisions she has made for 2010-2011:

• No facility will be required to address greenhouse gas emissions in Clean Air Act permitting of new construction or modifications before 2011.

• For the first half of 2011, only facilities that already must apply for Clean Air Act permits as a result of their non-greenhouse gas emissions will need to address their greenhouse gas emissions in their permit applications.

• EPA is also considering a modification to the rule announced in September requiring large facilities emitting more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year to obtain permits demonstrating they are using the best practices and technologies to minimize GHG emissions. EPA is considering raising that threshold substantially to reflect input provided during the public comment process.

• EPA does not intend to subject smaller facilities to Clean Air Act permitting for greenhouse gas emissions any sooner than 2016.