Reply #1: EPA Retains CO2 Authority Under Senate Bill - it's strengthened

[kristopher]

Kerry:
"I realize there's been a lot of discussion about some other aspects of it, so here are some of the other parts of the bill:

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Clean Air Act: This part of the bill has generated a lot of commentary and reporting recently, and some of it has just missed the mark. Here's the deal:

This bill does not take the EPA out of the mix on regulating carbon. In fact, it strengthens the Clean Air Act by expanding the authority of the EPA and making that authority permanent. First, the entire pollution-reduction program is under the authority of the EPA. The bill specifically requires the EPA to regulate large sources of carbon pollution, but it does not allow it to issue what in many cases would be duplicative regulation of the same sources. Essentially, what the bill says is that EPA should use the program specifically designed for making the deep reductions in carbon pollution called for in the bill. The bill preserves key Clean Air Act tools for sources not in the program, and it calls on EPA to continue setting tough emission standards to reduce global-warming pollution from cars and trucks. It also continues EPA's ability to set performance standards for old, dirty power plants to make sure they clean up."

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-05-12-introducing-the-american-power-act-on-the-strategy-and-substance


On the negative side I'm concerned about the negative effect on stricter local/regional initiatives. -K