New EPA rules could cost Texans billions of dollars
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The Texas Association of Business is leading a coalition that includes the U.S. Chamber and 25 local chambers of commerce from Texas (see below for full list) seeking to intervene in support of a lawsuit filed by the State of Texas. The lawsuit challenges the EPAs federal takeover of the regional haze air permitting process.
In 1999 Texas began a multi-state coordination effort to address the regional haze requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. That effort resulted in the states adoption on Feb. 25 2009 of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) which would demonstrate that Texas was in compliance with interim standards for visibility in national parks and other Class I areas. On Jan. 5 2016 EPA published in the Federal Register its disapproval of Texas regional haze plan and the implementation of an alternate Federal Implementation Plan (FIP).
EPAs disapproval and the imposition of a Federal Implementation Plan exceed the agencys authority" said TAB CEO Bill Hammond. There is no reason for the EPA to take this action."
The EPA admits the FIP will cost at least $2 billion for companies in Texas to implement in the next few years. As a result the rule could force some power plants to go offline and drive up electricity costs for all businesses in Texas. Whats more the EPAs regional haze rule" will have little to no benefits for Texas. The EPA states that the new regulations visibility" improvements are virtually imperceptible to the human eye.
Texas Regional Haze plan has been in place since 2009" said Hammond. It was prepared in strict compliance with the Clean Air Act in consultation with neighboring states and is achieving exactly what the law and regulations require it to achieve. EPAs disapproval of that plan is five years too late imposes unacceptable costs to Texas ratepayers and accomplishes nothing regarding the goals of the regional haze program."
Chambers of Commerce supporting this action include the:
Bay City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture Baytown Chamber of Commerce Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Frisco Chamber of Commerce Grapevine Chamber of Commerce Greater Angleton Chamber of Commerce Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Greater Hewitt Chamber of Commerce Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce Henderson Area Chamber of Commerce Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Longview Chamber of Commerce Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce San Angelo Chamber of Commerce South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and Victoria Chamber of Commerce.)
