Swamp Stomp
Volume 16, Issue 49
On November 18th, the Obama Administration released its latest regulatory agenda, which details the plan for the remaining months of Obama’s tenure.
The agenda includes tools in order to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, as well as new rules on renewable fuels, ozone pollution, water infrastructure and coal mining.
The latest issue of the biannual “Unified Agenda of Federal and Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” discusses short term as well as long term plans for every government agency.
It is believed that this agenda is President Obama’s way to cement his legacy. This comes in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to undo Obama’s policies on the environment. Many experts predict that if Mr. Trump goes through with this promise, multiple lawsuits would be filled.
“History suggests Trump will pause rulemaking efforts, freezing pieces of Obama’s regulatory legacy not completed before inauguration. Trump’s team may initiate rulemaking to undo other actions” (Hess).
With President Obama soon vacating the office and President-elect Donald Trumping taking over, certain efforts may be delayed including the efforts related to endangerment findings that obligate EPA to limit emissions from the aviation sector.
“EPA for the first time published its schedule for proposed greenhouse gas emissions standards and test procedures for aircraft and aircraft engines. A notice of proposed rulemaking is planned for January 2018 — one year after Trump takes office” (Hess).
Regarding greenhouse gas, the EPA is moving forward with regulation that is aimed to support states that are cutting carbon pollution from the power sector.
By the end of the year the Environmental Protection Agency will also have put in place a finalized model of carbon trading rules, as well as six amendments to Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. These amendments deal with the process for acting on state plans to meet carbon dioxide limits.
There has been no specific date provided, other than next year, for when the Clean Energy Incentive Program will be up and running. The program is supposed to encourage early renewable power development and low-income energy efficiency projects.
In the works at the EPA is a plan to finalize a rule next month to require industrial facilities to submit reports on excess emissions, performance tests and other data electronically, part of a goal to modernize environmental oversight.
“The agency’s Office of Air and Radiation will hand off major revisions of emissions monitoring and reporting requirements for coal-fired power plants under its acid rain program to the Trump administration. A notice of proposed rulemaking is due November 2017” (Hess).
Not only is the EPA currently working on an aircraft engine emissions standards, it also has plans to issue a proposed endangerment finding, under Clean Air Act Section 231, on releases from aircraft operating on leaded fuel by December 2017.
With the change of administration, how much do you think the EPA can actually get done?
Source: Hess, Hannah. “Obama Blueprint Aims to Cement His Regulatory Legacy.” Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition. Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition, 21 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.