WASHINGTON - Under a final
decision issued today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) no stationary sources will be required to get Clean Air Act
permits that cover greenhouse gases (GHGs) before January 2011.

The delay in requiring power plants and other industrial
sites to obtain federal pollution permits for emitting greenhouse
gases formally affirms an agency announcement last month that it
would phase in the regulation of climate-altering gases over a
number of years, starting with the largest sources.

EPA has pledged to take sensible steps to address the billions
of tons of greenhouse gas pollution that threaten Americans’ health
and welfare, and is providing time for large industrial facilities
and state governments to put in place cost-effective, innovative
technologies to control and reduce carbon pollution.

“This is a common sense plan for phasing in the
protections of the Clean Air Act. It gives large facilities the
time they need to innovate, governments the time to prepare to cut
greenhouse gases and it ensures that we don’t push this problem off
to our children and grandchildren, said EPA Administrator
Jackson.  With a clear process in place, it’s now time for
American innovators and entrepreneurs to go to work and lead us
into the clean energy economy of the future.”

Today’s action determines that Clean Air Act construction and
operating permit requirements for the largest emitting facilities
will begin when the first national rule controlling GHGs takes
effect. If finalized as proposed, the rule limiting GHG emissions
for cars and light trucks would trigger these requirements in
January 2011 - the earliest model year 2012 vehicles meeting the
standards can be sold in the United States. The agency expects to
issue final vehicle GHG standards shortly.

EPA has committed to focusing its GHG permitting requirements on
the largest sources. The agency will make a decision later this
spring on the amount of GHGs facilities can emit before having to
include limits for these emissions in their permits.

Today’s action is the final step in EPA’s reconsideration of the
December 18, 2008 memorandum entitled “EPA’s Interpretation of
Regulations that Determine Pollutants Covered by Federal Prevention
of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Permit Program.”  The final
action clarifies when GHGs and other pollutants are covered under
Clean Air Act permitting programs.

S. William Becker, executive director of the National
Association of Clean Air Agencies, said in an New York Times
interview that today’s announcement of a delay in imposing permit
requirements will be “extraordinarily helpful” to every state.

“Providing nine additional months for states to revise their
clean air laws and regulations will enable these agencies to
closely align their programs with the federal permitting rules,
thereby assuring a smooth and rational transition to the daunting
but important challenges of regulating greenhouse gases from
industrial facilities,” Mr. Becker said.

More information and the letter Administrator Jackson sent last
month outlining this approach and timeline: href=”http://www.epa.gov/nsr/guidance.html”
target=”_blank”>http://www.epa.gov/nsr/guidance.html