Revitalizing Greenhouse Gas Permitting Inside a Biden EPA
7 Pages Posted: 1 Apr 2021 Last revised: 13 May 2021
Date Written: March 31, 2021
Abstract
The Clean Air Act’s (CAA’s) prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) permitting program provides an opportunity for the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a rapid improvement on the implementation of existing greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation. EPA’s Tailoring Rule, in 2010, made the PSD permitting program applicable to GHGs for stationary sources of air pollution. However, since 2010, PSD permits, mostly issued by state environmental agencies, have required little actual control of GHGs, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2). The Biden EPA should conduct an annual review of CO2 technology options for stationary sources, establish a renewed commitment to review of specific draft permits, and strengthen the existing PSD permitting database. Such actions are straightforward steps to improving the existing PSD permitting program for GHGs.
Keywords: greenhouse gas, epa, clean air act, GHG, BACT, RACT, LAER, RBLC
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