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Industry groups and state coalitions petition Supreme Court against EPA authority to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources.
Coalition says EPA should not use the Clean Air Act to
regulate carbon emissions.
On 19 April 2013, according to a Reuters report, a coalition of top industry groups and a dozen states asked the United States Supreme Court to review a lower court decision upholding the Obama administration's plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from stationary sources. 
The parties, which had until Friday April 19th to submit petitions to the high court, are challenging a 2012 decision by the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The petitioners attacked the rules on various grounds, but all argued that EPA should not use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions.
"EPA's ill-founded regulations represent a sweeping expansion of its regulatory power under the Clean Air Act and would impose new requirements on potentially millions of stationary sources across the country," the American Chemistry Council (ACC) said. The ACC was joined by the American Petroleum Institute, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Manufacturers.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which ruled in favor of the EPA last year, denied the group's request for a rehearing in December, prompting the ACC and other organizations to turn to the Supreme Court.
The petitioners said the EPA incorrectly used the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program of the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants. They said the program only applies to six other criteria air pollutants (ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and lead).
Other groups that filed petitions include the Utility Air Regulatory Group, an association of electric utilities and electricity-generating companies; the conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation, which represents Republican lawmakers Michele Bachmann and Joe Barton, among others. The 12-state coalition, led by Texas, includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
What this means to you
If it agrees to hear petitions from a coalition of industries and states, EPA's authority to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources will be tested by the U.S. Supreme Court. This may impact GHG reporting rules and regulations.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss how current GHG rules affect your operation and catalyst/control options to reduce GHG emissions.
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| Chevron defies California on carbon emissions.
On 17 April 2013 Bloomberg reported that Chevron Corporation is leading a lobbying and public relations campaign to undercut the California mandate to produce fuels from plants and algae aimed at curbing global warming (AB32), two years after the state started phasing it in. Research on commercially viable climate-friendly products has come to naught, stymied by the poor economics of coaxing hydrocarbons from plants' stubborn cell walls, according to Chevron officials. 
"We've looked at 100 feedstocks, 50 conversion technologies, worked to shape this law the best we can, and we have not come up with a solution to be able to comply," said Rhonda Zygocki, Chevron's executive vice president of policy and planning. Rick Zalesky, the Chevron official who celebrated the order's signing with Schwarzenegger, was blunt last June when he declared the low-carbon standard "not achievable."
Like other major investor-owned oil companies, Chevron and ExxonMobil accept climate-change science and acknowledge carbon emissions contribute to global warming. They say they're pushing back against the California rule because it demands technology that may not be available for years, and will cost jobs and send pump prices soaring if not rewritten.
The oil industry is lobbying to stop other states from following California. All the while, oil companies are dedicating few resources to the advances in biofuels they talk about needing to make, said Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board, which enforces the carbon rule. Nichols said regulators haven't been swayed by the arguments, among them that the economy will suffer if implementation of the rule isn't delayed. "At this point we're not seeing any need to change course," she said.
What this means to you
Large investor-owned oil companies accept climate-change science, but say technology solutions are not on the horizon. Bio-fuels may add costs to traditional fuels as they are blended into petrochemical feedstocks, though in general they reduce sulfur levels in the fuels.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss how these fuels can affect your engine and emissions.
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| Cal Enviroscreen ranks California zip codes by pollution. Interactive map lets users see how their zip code ranks.
It's the first environmental health screening tool of its kind in the country. California's Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out Cal Enviroscreen which helps pinpoint communities that may be particularly vulnerable to pollution. It measures a broad range of pollutants and health indicators in every zip code across the state.
By zooming in on the map, Californians can see how different zip codes are ranked. The top three zip codes are in the Los Angeles area. Seven zip codes on the top 10 list are in San Joaquin Valley, which is in Central California.
The most vulnerable community in the state is West Fresno. Other zip codes in the top ten include Bakersfield, Stockton and the Los Angeles-area communities of Vernon, Baldwin Park, and Boyle Heights.
While Cal Enviroscreen measures things like traffic, hazardous waste facilities, and pesticides, top-scoring communities generally have high rates of air pollution.
What this means to you
California continues to use database technology to measure pollution sources by geographic areas. Cal Enviroscreen identifies and quantifies a variety of pollutants - with an emphasis on air pollution - down to the zip code level.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss how to use Enviroscreen as an aid to your emission compliance plans in California.
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Call MIRATECH at 918-933-6232 for
Answers to RICE NESHAP Questions
What's the best way to get quick, smart answers to questions about the EPA's new RICE NESHAP regulations?
Compliance with these regulations is required by May 3, 2013 for compression ignition (CI) and by October 13, 2013 for spark ignition (SI) reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE). The regulations strengthen National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) as defined in 40 CFR, part 63, supart ZZZZ.
Call MIRATECH at 918-933-6232 | Click image to learn more
about RICE NESHAP |
Email NESHAP@miratechcorp.com or Click Here for MIRATECH sales contacts.How can you get a project started?- Get regulation information
- Obtain product information
- Catalyst/Silencer Combination Units
Call MIRATECH at 918-933-6232 or Email NESHAP@miratechcorp.com for answers to NESHAP questions.
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EPA lowers methane leak estimates.
On 28 April 2013, the Associated Press reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much methane, a potent heat-trapping gas, leaks during natural gas production. EPA's move is a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change?
Oil and gas drilling companies had pushed for the change, but there have been differing scientific estimates of the amount of methane that leaks from wells, pipelines and other facilities during production and delivery.
The new EPA data is "kind of an earthquake" in the debate over drilling, said Michael Shellenberger, the president of the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental group based in Oakland, CA.. "This is great news for anybody concerned about the climate and strong proof that existing technologies can be deployed to reduce methane leaks."
The scope of the EPA's revision was vast. In a mid-April report on greenhouse emissions, the agency now says that tighter pollution controls instituted by the industry resulted in an average annual decrease of 41.6 million metric tons of methane emissions from 1990 through 2010, or more than 850 million metric tons overall. That's about a 20 percent reduction from previous estimates. The agency converts the methane emissions into their equivalent in carbon dioxide, following standard scientific practice.
What this means to you
Lower methane level leaks from gas drilling operations, especially those using fracking, will boost the idea of natural gas as an alternative or bridge fuel that lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Reliable and low cost natural gas supplies may become more interesting as a primary fuel source for transportation and power generation.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss how our catalysts and control technologies further improve emissions from diesel and natural gas engines for drilling and compression operations.
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EPA cuts 2014 budget by $296 million over 2012.
On 10 April 2013 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its 2014 fiscal year budget of $8.153 billion, an amount that is $296 million below the EPA's budget for Fiscal Year 2012.
"EPA's FY 2014 budget reflects our firm commitment to keeping American communities across our country healthy and clean, while also taking into consideration the difficult fiscal situation and the declining resources of state, local and tribal programs," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe.
Fiscal Year 2014 budget highlights include:
- E-Enterprise to Assist Businesses and Improve EPA and States' Access to Data. E-Enterprise, a $60 million initiative will enable EPA to begin developing tools and expanding systems designed to reduce the reporting burden on regulated entities and provide EPA and state regulators with easier access to and use of environmental data.
- Supporting state and tribal partners. The FY 2014 budget includes a total of $1,135.8 million in categorical grants, an increase of $47 million over FY 2012 levels. EPA remains committed to supporting our state and tribal partners, the primary implementers of environmental programs, remains a priority of the EPA. Funding to states and tribes in the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account continues to be the largest percentage of the EPA's budget request, at nearly 40% in FY 2014.
- Climate Change. EPA is proposing $176.5 million for the agency's work with partners and stakeholders to provide information and tools to cut greenhouse gas emissions. These funds will support reducing emissions in the U.S. and abroad through careful, cost-effective rulemaking and voluntary programs that focus on the largest entities while also encouraging businesses and consumers to limit unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enforcement and Compliance. EPA's budget proposal requests $625 million to maintain the strength of core national enforcement and compliance assurance programs and for the Next Generation Compliance Initiative.
- Improving Air Quality. The agency's proposal requests $175 million to support its work to meet its court-ordered deadlines to develop, implement and review statutorily mandated ambient air quality standards and guidance and air toxics regulations. In addition, EPA will continue to provide support to its state, local and Tribal partners to implement these rules by providing analytical tools for emissions and quality assurance, as well as air quality systems to house and exchange data and technology.
What this means to you
EPA is taking a 3.5 percent budget reduction from its 2012 budget. Even so, its priority activities remain largely focused on air quality emission reduction, reporting, compliance and enforcement.
How MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss emission compliance options and solutions for your operation.
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Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding
cut 70 percent.
On 10 April 2013 the Diesel Technology Forum announced a proposed 70 percent reduction in funding for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) in the Obama Administration's 2014 budget. The cut "will nearly decimate one of the nation's most successful clean air programs", according to Allen Schaeffer , Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum..
The 2014 budget proposal would reduce DERA funding from $20 million in FY 2013 to $6 million in 2014. The landmark DERA grant program was originally authorized as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to fund upgrades and modernize the oldest, higher-emitting diesel engines, complementing the stringent emissions standards EPA set for new diesel engines beginning in 2007. The program has evolved to also include deployment of many fuel-saving technologies as well.
The bipartisan Diesel Emissions Reduction Act has allowed communities in all 50 states to upgrade older diesel school and transit buses, commercial trucks, locomotives and other equipment with modern and cleaner diesel engines and emissions filters.
What this means to you
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding will limit funds for upgrades and modernizations of high-emitting diesel engines.
MIRATECH can help
Contact MIRATECH to discuss how our oxidation catalysts, diesel particulate filters (DPF), and SCR catalysts can keep your diesel engine in compliance.
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