U.S. EPA to Ease Air Pollution Permitting for Power Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 1 proposed a rule to simplify the New Source Review program, which governs emission permits for building new or significantly retrofitted industrial facilities including power plants.

The proposed rule clarifies that both projected emissions increases and decreases from a project can be considered during the first step of the two-step process currently in place. Under existing regulations, if the agency determines that a proposed facility would result in a significant rise in emissions in step 1, the process moves on to step 2 to decide whether there will be an overall increase when emission changes — that are unrelated to the project — over the preceding several years are considered.

The proposed rule would allow a project to proceed under a state-issued minor source permit if the step 1 evaluation shows that there will be no significant emissions increase, which may be due to decreases elsewhere at sources due to the project offsetting any rise in emissions. By considering emissions accounting in step 1, the agency expects the proposed rule to reduce regulatory burden, and save time and money.

The proposed rule opens a 60-day comment period.