Industry OK with EPA Regulations

Late last year an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal “The EPA Permitorium” attacked the EPA for impending regulations under the Clean Air Act. The piece called the EPA’s moves ‘a regulatory ambush’ and an ‘unprecedented assault’ that would result in uncertainty amongst industry, forcing them to choose unreasonable capital costs or shutter their existing plants.

Luckily, not all industry agrees.

In a letter to the editor, a contingent of eight CEO’s and president’s from some of the largest electrical/power companies in the country directly rebuffed the arguments made in the Nov 22nd Op-Ed.

“The electric sector has known that these rules were coming. Many companies, including ours, have already invested in modern air-pollution control technologies and cleaner and more efficient power plants. For over a decade, companies have recognized that the industry would need to install controls to comply with the act’s air toxicity requirements, and the technology exists to cost effectively control such emissions, including mercury and acid gases.”

“To suggest that plants are retiring because of the EPA’s regulations fails to recognize that lower power prices and depressed demand are the primary retirement drivers. The units retiring are generally small, old and inefficient. These retirements are long overdue.”

“Contrary to the claims that the EPA’s agenda will have negative economic consequences, our companies’ experience complying with air quality regulations demonstrates that regulations can yield important economic benefits, including job creation, while maintaining reliability (WSJ).”