EPA aims for early 2019 finish to CO2 rule replacement
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to finish work on its replacement for federal CO2 standards for power plants by early next year.
The agency today told a federal court that it hopes to issue its proposed replacement for the Clean Power Plan in late summer or early autumn so that that it can finalize the regulations in "the first part" of 2019.
"The Clean Power Plan replacement rulemaking is a high priority for the agency, and EPA is committed to completing it as expeditiously as practicable," the agency said in a filing with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to keep litigation against the Clean Power Plan on hold.
EPA sent its proposed replacement to the White House for interagency review earlier this month. While that process often takes 90 days to complete, EPA told the court it has asked the Office of Management and Budget for an expedited review.
EPA has not said how it plans to replace the Clean Power Plan, which it is repealing through a separate process. When it solicited public comment earlier this year, the agency suggested it would focus on measures that can be carried out on-site at a power plant, such as heat-rate improvements for boilers.
That would be in line with EPA's determination in the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan that the agency under former president Barack Obama overstepped its authority by including measures such as emissions trading and shifting to natural gas and renewable energy sources.
Many electric utilities have lobbied EPA to write a scaled-back version of the rule, saying it is better than the uncertainty of having no regulation, as EPA has a legal obligation under the Clean Air Act to issue some sort of power plant CO2 rule. But such an approach is almost certain to trigger a new round of court challenges.
A scaled-back replacement would likely lead to much lower emissions reductions than the Clean Power Plan, which EPA had projected could cut power plant CO2 by 32pc from 2005 levels by 2030. The original rule would require states to develop plans for meeting CO2 targets for 2022-2030. EPA in the text of the regulation said that heat rate efficiency improvements "lead to only small emission reductions" and, if implemented in isolation, could actually lead to an increase by making coal-fired plants more competitive compared with other sources.
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MDBs, parties must deliver on finance: Cop 29 president
MDBs, parties must deliver on finance: Cop 29 president
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US economic growth slows to 1.6pc in 1Q
US economic growth slows to 1.6pc in 1Q
Houston, 25 April (Argus) — The US economy in the first quarter grew at a 1.6pc annual pace, slower than expected, while a key measure of inflation accelerated. Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) slowed from a 3.4pc annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported on Thursday. The first-quarter growth number, the first of three estimates for the period, compares with analyst forecasts of about a 2.5pc gain. Personal consumption slowed to a 2.5pc annual rate in the first quarter from a 3.3pc pace in the fourth quarter, partly reflecting lower spending on motor vehicles and gasoline and other energy goods. Gross private domestic investment rose by 3.2pc, with residential spending up 13.9pc after a 2.8pc expansion in the fourth quarter. Government spending growth slowed to 1.2pc from 4.6pc. Private inventories fell and imports rose, weighing on growth. The core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, which the Federal Reserve closely follows, rose by 3.7pc following 2pc annual growth in the fourth quarter, although consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics said revisions to the data should pull the index lower in coming months. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to begin cutting its target lending rate in September following sharp increases in 2022 and early 2023 to fight inflation that surged to a high of 9.1pc in June 2022. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India’s Gail to shut Dabhol LNG terminal for monsoon
India’s Gail to shut Dabhol LNG terminal for monsoon
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Indonesia’s UNTR raises 1Q coal production, sales
Indonesia’s UNTR raises 1Q coal production, sales
Manila, 25 April (Argus) — Indonesian coal services and heavy equipment manufacturer United Tractors' (UNTR) coal output and sales increased in the January-March quarter from a year earlier, partly helped by steady demand and favourable weather conditions. UNTR's mining services company Pamapersada Nusantara (PAMA) reported that coal production for its contracted clients was at 32.3mn t in the first quarter, a 21pc increase from a year earlier. Overburden removal at the contracted mines rose by 17pc on the year to 286.3mn bank m³ (bcm). Thermal coal sales from UNTR's own Tuah Turangga Agung (TTA) mine rose by 40pc to 3.2mn t during the quarter from a year earlier. UNTR increased sales volumes to partly offset the impact of the downtrend in prices in the market on its financials. UNTR did not give the production data for its own mine but added that the output should remain stable in the next quarter on forecasts of dry weather ahead. The company's heavy equipment sales fell by 37pc year-on-year to 1,126 units. This was because of a drop in demand in the domestic market following the fulfilment of backlogged deliveries in 2023, it said. By Antonio delos Reyes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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