Saturday, July 19, 2014

MORE LEGAL ACTION OVER AIR EMISSIONS

By TONI ELLINGTON

Two non-profit environmental organizations have sued the U.S. EPA over pending permit renewal decisions for three coal-fired power plants in Texas. The organizations, the Environmental Integrity Project and the Sierra Club, filed suit in the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 15, 2014.  The organizations claim that the EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, has failed to fulfill her duties by not making a decision on the three pending permits.

Texas and the EPA have a history of disputes over power plant emissions. In 2011, the Texas House passed a measure asking federal legislators to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions in Texas.  The state lost legal battles over the same issue in 2010 and 2011. In April 2014, the D.C. Circuit rejected a challenge from Texas to regulations limiting emissions from coal-fired power plants.

As for the agencies involved, it appears their focus is to urge the EPA to make decisions and enforce regulations on these issues. In May 2014, the Sierra Club filed suit in the D.C. Circuit because the agency missed a deadline in 2014 to classify smog air pollution in Fort Worth as severe.

For more information, contact Toni Ellington at 504-599-8500.

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