US EPA Locks in 2025 Fuel Efficiency Rules
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Friday finalized a determination that the landmark fuel efficiency rules instituted by President Barack Obama should be locked in through 2025, a bid to maintain a key part of his administration's climate legacy. Major U.S. and foreign automakers have appealed to President-elect Donald Trump…
Most States on track to Meet Emissions Targets
The 27 states challenging Obama's Clean Power Plan in court say the lower emissions levels it would impose are an undue burden. But most are likely to hit them anyway. Already, Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Dakota appear to be meeting the CPP's early targets. And changes in the power market, along with policies favoring clean generation…
US EPA Takes Aim at O&G Methane Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday published the first U.S. regulations to target methane emissions from new or modified oil and gas facilities, one of the key remaining pieces of the Obama administration's climate change strategy. The rule, first proposed last August, outlines safeguards for preventing the escape of methane from new and modified oil and natural gas infrastructure…
The American Energy Story Obama Won't Tell the World
(Note: Kevin McCarthy is the majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. President Barack Obama is poised to repeat his history of weak-handed negotiations on the world stage when nearly 200 countries gather in Paris on Monday to consider an international response to climate change. According to the president, rejecting the Keystone XL oil…
US Refiners' Group Wants Wide Debate on Oil Exports
The U.S. oil refining industry's association is not opposed to lifting the country's 40-year-old ban on crude exports as long as the move is part of a bigger effort to lower barriers to trade, the group's new head said on Tuesday. "We're not opposed to lifting the export ban, but we would like to think there could be a broader discussion," about all trade barriers in petroleum markets…
EPA Award for Pentair
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Pentair's Aquatic Systems with a 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and educating consumers about energy efficiency. Pentair's accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2015.
US EPA Chief Seeks Vatican Support on Climate Protection
In a bid to bolster the Obama administration's "moral" case for combating climate change, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency will meet senior Vatican officials on Friday to enlist papal support for its policies. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Pope Francis, who has become a vocal climate advocate since his 2013 election, can be an ally for President Barack Obama's Climate Action Plan.
Low Oil Prices Will Not Affect US Environmental Rules -EPA Chief
Current low oil prices are a short-term blip and will not affect how the U.S. crafts new environmental regulations, including forthcoming standards for heavy duty vehicles, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief said Friday. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the agency's next move to tackle greenhouse gas emissions will come this spring…
Coal Ash Labeled Non-hazardous Under New US Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued rules on Friday labeling coal ash, a byproduct of coal-based power production containing toxic materials such as arsenic and lead, as non-hazardous waste. The label means that states, and not the EPA, will be the primary enforcers of the new rules, which will require the closure of some coal ash holding ponds leaking contaminants into surrounding water.
EPA Pressured to Tighten Ozone Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing more stringent air quality standards for ground-level ozone, the main culprit in smog, the agency's chief said on Wednesday. Under deadline to release its proposal by Monday, the agency said it will seek a National Ambient Air Quality Standard between 65 and 70 parts per billion concentration of ozone…
EPA Chief in Senate Hearing over Carbon Rule
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy will field questions from lawmakers on Wednesday about the agency's plan to slash carbon pollution from power plants, even as industry groups seek to derail the proposal. McCarthy will testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, where she will discuss the EPA's first mandatory cuts on carbon in the power sector…
U.S. EPA Chief: Carbon Rules To Lower Consumer Bills
Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy said on Thursday that newly proposed rules to slash carbon emissions from U.S. power plants will cut electricity bills after 2030 by forcing power plants to become more efficient. Speaking at a forum on energy efficiency in Washington, which she likened to "preaching to the choir," McCarthy took…
EPA to Unveil New Power Plant Pollution Rules
The U.S. power sector will need to emit 30 percent less carbon dioxide by 2030 than it did in 2005, according to new federal regulations - the centerpiece of the Obama administration's climate change strategy - to be unveiled on Monday. The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal is one of the most significant environmental rules proposed by the United States…
45 Senators Seek Extra Time - EPA Carbon Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency should double the amount of time the public will have to give input on its forthcoming proposal that will aim to cut carbon pollution from power plants nationwide, 45 U.S. senators urged on Thursday. The senators, Republicans and Democrats from energy-intensive states, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy…
US Top Court Upholds Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Barack Obama a victory on Tuesday by upholding a federal environmental regulation requiring some states to limit pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states. By a 6-2 vote, the court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acted reasonably in requiring 28 states to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides…
US Power Plant Rule Will be Tough, Enforceable
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's chief said on Monday that new carbon pollution standards due in June will be flexible enough for all states to meet but will be environmentally stringent and federally enforceable. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy gave her first remarks since the agency sent its proposed rule, which aims to curb carbon emissions from more than 1…
