Major Utility Trade Group Reportedly Took Biden Admin to Court Over Green Power Plant Rules – Are You Excited About That?
NICK Pope
CONTRIBUTE
A major trade group for utilities is reportedly ready to sue the Biden administration over one of its most ambitious climate policies, according to E&E News.
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) – a trade group representing all investor-owned utilities in the United States – will soon file a legal lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ) was recently completed. regulations for power plants, according to to E&E News, which cited four anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter. The trade association did not sue the Obama administration when it issued similar regulations and since overwritten Clean Power Plan, but is now taking a more confrontational stance against the Biden administration’s power plant regulations.
EPA finalized the regulations in question in April; The regulations effectively require existing coal-fired plants and new natural gas plants to use costly carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to control 90% of emissions by 2032 if plant operators want to keep covered facilities operating through 2039, according to to the agency. According to E&E News, EEI plans to center its lawsuit around EPA’s reliance on CCS to meet emissions reduction goals. (RELATED: ‘The Swamp Gets Deeper’: EPA Awards Billions From Biden’s Landmark Climate Bill To Organizations Filled With Dem Insiders)
An EEI spokesperson said a decision on the lawsuit has not yet been made.
“EEI and our member companies continue to work to evaluate EPA’s final power plant regulations and their impact on utility customers,” an EEI spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. electricity”. “We take any potential litigation decision seriously and are still considering our options.”
Critics of EPA’s power plant regulations – a group include Some Biden administration officials – have indicated that CCS is not ready to play the important role in the US power grid as the agency envisions. In terms of technology, CCS is still in its early stages and is not yet energy efficient, according to for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, while other challenges, such as a large permit backlog, persist.
“While we appreciate and support EPA’s work to develop a clear, ongoing roadmap for the transition to clean resources,” said EEI President and CEO Dan Brouillette more, but we are disappointed that the agency has not addressed the concerns we raised about carbon capture and storage.” speak of the final regulations when they are published in late April. “CCS is not yet ready for full, economy-wide deployment, nor has there been enough time to license, fund and build the CCS infrastructure necessary for compliance by 2032.”
EEI officials reportedly made the decision to sue on Thursday, but the organization has not yet officially announced that it will take the federal government to court. More than two dozen Republican state attorneys general have been submit Their own lawsuit against the rules.
The administration hailed the regulations as an important step toward decarbonizing the U.S. power grid and the broader economy over the coming decades, both of which are key goals in its sweeping climate agenda. aftermath of the Biden administration. The agency expressed confidence that the regulations will be able to withstand upcoming regulatory challenges and will not affect grid reliability once enacted, but grid experts first This has expressed confidence that speak DCNF that the new policies could exceed the agency’s statutory authority and also have the potential to reduce grid reliability over the long term.
EPA declined to comment, citing its policy not to consider pending litigation.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from EEI.
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