{"id":313,"date":"2010-11-09T13:28:51","date_gmt":"2010-11-09T18:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/?p=313"},"modified":"2012-01-31T15:25:30","modified_gmt":"2012-01-31T20:25:30","slug":"epa-rulemaking-after-the-caa-amendments-of-1990-far-more-than-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2010\/11\/09\/epa-rulemaking-after-the-caa-amendments-of-1990-far-more-than-today\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA Rulemaking After the CAA Amendments of 1990: Far More Than Today"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Julia Ciardullo
\nFellow<\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) have come under attack by some opponents of climate regulation as an \u201caggressive\u201d and \u201cunprecedented\u201d program of rulemakings.[1]<\/a> In fact, EPA issued far more<\/em> regulations to implement the CAA Amendments of 1990.<\/p>\n

The attached chart<\/a> prepared by the Center for Climate Change Law includes side-by-side timelines comparing EPA\u2019s rulemakings during the first four years after the 1990 Amendments were enacted (1991 through 1994) to the four years after EPA\u2019s endangerment finding for GHGs (2010 through 2013).[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

As the chart illustrates, EPA\u2019s GHG regulations are significantly fewer in number, and much less burdensome from a regulatory perspective, than those issued by EPA to implement the 1990 Amendments. <\/strong><\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s GHG Regulations<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the absence of major climate legislation in Congress, EPA recently issued its first set of GHG regulations under the CAA.\u00a0 The final rules consist of:<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0 the \u201cTailpipe Rule,\u201d which limits GHG emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles for model years 2012 through 2016;<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0 the \u201cTiming Rule,\u201d which interprets the CAA to allow regulation of GHG emissions from stationary sources; and<\/p>\n

(3)\u00a0 the \u201cTailoring Rule,\u201d which sets thresholds for GHG emissions from stationary sources.\u00a0 The Tailoring Rule is set to take effect for the country\u2019s largest GHG emitters\u2014power plants, refineries, and cement production facilities\u2014beginning on January 2, 2011.\u00a0 (Smaller sources are exempt from regulation until 2016).[3]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

EPA has also laid out its plans for two other GHG regulations it intends to finalize by mid-2012:<\/p>\n

(1)\u00a0 limits on GHG emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles for model years 2017 through 2025; and<\/p>\n

(2)\u00a0 limits on GHG emissions from combination tractors (semi trucks that pull trailers), heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, and vocational vehicles (including buses and refuse or utility trucks) for model years 2014 through 2018.[4]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The 1990 Amendments<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By comparison, the 1990 Amendments, which were shepherded through Congress by the George H.W. Bush Administration, required EPA to undertake 120 rulemakings (55 of which had to be completed within the first two years) and prepare 90 reports for presentation to Congress.\u00a0 In order to achieve this directive, EPA was awarded additional funding and hired 200 additional employees. [5]<\/a> By November 1993\u2014three years after the 1990 Amendments were signed into law\u2014EPA had issued over 150 rules and guidance documents, accounting for 85% of the total emissions reductions that were expected to result from the fully-implemented 1990 Amendments.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> EPA: Pace of Clean Air Act rulemakings turns heads, draws lawsuits, https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/public\/Greenwire\/2010\/09\/14\/2<\/a> (Sept. 14, 2010); Texas stays on course toward clash with feds over greenhouse-gas rules, https:\/\/texasclimatenews.org\/wp\/?p=735<\/a> (Oct. 6, 2010).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Note that the timeline of EPA\u2019s regulation of GHGs does not include EPA\u2019s recent regulation of conventional air pollutants under the CAA, such as its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the \u201cTransport Rule,\u201d which would require a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from power plants in the eastern half of the United States, or the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone.\u00a0 The CAA lays out timetables requiring EPA to periodically review these and other standards, and update them if necessary to protect public health and welfare.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> See Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, 75 Fed. Reg. 25,324 (May 7, 2010); Reconsideration of Interpretation of Regulations That Determine Pollutants Covered by Clean Air Act Permitting Programs, 75 Fed. Reg. 17,004 (Apr. 2, 2010); Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title VI Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule, 75 Fed. Reg. 31,514, (June 3, 2010).<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> See 2017 and Later Model Year Light Duty Vehicle GHG Emissions and CAFE Standards; Notice of Intent, 75 Fed. Reg. 62,739 (Oct. 13, 2010); Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles, https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/otaq\/climate\/regulations\/hd-preamble-regs.pdf<\/a> (Oct. 25, 2010).<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> E. Donald Elliott, Lessons From Implementing the 1990 CAA Amendments, Environmental Law Reporter, 40 ELR 10592.\u00a0 See also Office of Air & Radiation, U.S. EPA, Implementation Strategy for the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990: Update, 1992, available at https:\/\/nepis.epa.gov\/Exe\/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=20011JPT.txt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Office of Air & Radiation, U.S. EPA, Implementation Strategy for the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990: Update, November 1993, available at https:\/\/nepis.epa.gov\/Exe\/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=00000EK1.txt<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julia Ciardullo Fellow EPA\u2019s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) have come under attack by some opponents of climate regulation as an \u201caggressive\u201d and \u201cunprecedented\u201d program of rulemakings.[1] In fact, EPA issued far more regulations to implement the CAA Amendments of 1990. The attached chart prepared by the Center […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5677],"tags":[5529],"class_list":{"0":"post-313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-clean-air-act","7":"tag-epa-clean-air-act-ghg-rules","8":"czr-hentry"},"yoast_head":"\nEPA Rulemaking After the CAA Amendments of 1990: Far More Than Today - Climate Law Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.law.columbia.edu\/climatechange\/2010\/11\/09\/epa-rulemaking-after-the-caa-amendments-of-1990-far-more-than-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EPA Rulemaking After the CAA Amendments of 1990: Far More Than Today - Climate Law Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Julia Ciardullo Fellow EPA\u2019s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) have come under attack by some opponents of climate regulation as an \u201caggressive\u201d and \u201cunprecedented\u201d program of rulemakings.[1] In fact, EPA issued far more regulations to implement the CAA Amendments of 1990. 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