Bush Administration Will Oppose Environmental Ruling

[kpete]

EPA Joins Settlement of Lawsuit but Adds a Waiver
Action Against Polluting Utility Is Ruled Out Until 2018

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 11, 2007; Page A03

Although the Environmental Protection Agency joined in a legal settlement this week to force the largest power-plant pollution cleanup in U.S. history, the Bush administration signaled in the agreement that it has no intention of taking enforcement actions against the utility for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future.

The language of the settlement indicates that the administration has not wavered in its distaste for a Clinton-era policy of using the law to force power plants to upgrade their pollution controls whenever they significantly update or expand a plant. That marks a significant victory for the power industry, which has strenuously opposed the "New Source Review," saying that it penalizes them for efficiency improvements that ultimately benefit consumers and the environment.

"That is something that we fought to get in the settlement that was very important to us," said American Electric Power spokesman Pat D. Hemlepp, whose company settled with the EPA and other groups on Tuesday. "There are a lot of things we can do . . . to improve the efficiency of our plants."

Buried in paragraph 133 of the consent decree, in which the utility agreed to install $4.6 billion in pollution-control measures at 16 existing plants and pay $75 million in penalties, is a section that assures AEP that the government will not pursue any action stemming from the "modification" of these plants between now and Dec. 31, 2018. The EPA has inserted similar language in other settlements.

more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/10/AR2007101002389.html?hpid=topnews

[hatrack]

1. Well, I guess they weren't kidding when they said they wouldn't be changing climate policy!

Sons-of-BITCHES!

[LisaM]

2. Is this the Ohio company?

Payback for the 2004 election BS, perhaps?

[rodeodance]

3. what a hoot-to see this as Gore is speaking. slap jr down!

[bdamomma]

4. defiant little pricks they are.

here's our biggest problem of changing the environmental policies, these people are truly evil, and I wish the earth had a suck hole to just take them down.

[bdamomma]

5. kick