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<title>November 2003: Twelve States Sue EPA Over Relaxed Clean Air Act
Regulations</title>
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<p align="left"><strong><small><font face="Arial">About The Author:</font></small></strong></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial" style="font-size: 9pt">Robert A. Olson is a partner in the law firm of
Brown, Olson & Gould, P.C. which maintains a nationwide practice in energy law,
public utility law and related commercial transactions.</font></p>
<p><small><font face="Arial"><font style="font-size: 9pt">He can be reached at:</font><br>
<br>
<b><font color="#0000FF">Brown, Olson & Gould, PC</font></b><br>
2 Delta Drive<br>
Suite 301<br>
Concord, NH 03301<br>
<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><br>
(603) 225-9716<br>
<a href="mailto:[email protected]"></a></font></small></p>
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</center><p align="left"><b><u><br>
November 2003</u><font size="6"><br>
Twelve States Sue EPA Over
Relaxed Clean
Air Act Regulations</font></b><strong><br>
by Robert Olson -- Brown, Olson and Wilson, P.C.<br>
</strong><font face="Arial" size="2">(<em>originally published by PMA OnLine Magazine:
200</em>3/</font><font size="2">11/01</font></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial">Environmental Protection
Agency, (D.C. Cir.) (No. 03-1380). The states involved in the lawsuit are
Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The
states seek review of a new rule adopted by the EPA on the same day. 68 Fed.
Reg. 61248 (October 27, 2003) (to be codified at 40 C.F.R. �� 51.165,
51.166, 52.21 and 52.24). The new rule, which takes effect on December 26,
2003, clarifies and relaxes current requirements for installation of
state-of-the-art pollution control devices on major stationary sources of
air pollution, such as coal-fired electric generation facilities.</span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial">The Clean Air Act (the
“Act”), 42 U.S.C. �� 7401 <i>et seq</i>., generally requires installation of
state-of-the-art pollution control devices on major stationary sources of
air pollution constructed or modified after promulgation of regulations
implementing the Act. 42 U.S.C. � 7411(a). The new rule relates to the
question of whether a pre-existing source has been “modified” such that it
triggers this requirement. Under currently applicable regulations,
“modification” does not include “routine maintenance, repair and
replacement” (“RMRR”). See 40 C.F.R. � 52.21(b)(2)(iii)(a). The new rule, as
summarized by the EPA, specifies that the RMRR exclusion encompasses “the
replacement of components of a process unit with identical components or
their functional equivalents,” provided that “[(1)] the cost of replacing
the component falls below 20 percent of the replacement value of the process
unit of which the component is a part, [(2)] the replacement does not change
the unit’s basic design parameters, and [(3)] the unit continues to meet
enforceable emission and operational limitations.” </span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial">The EPA explains that it
has historically “applied the RMRR exclusion on a case-by-case basis using a
multifactor test for determining whether a particular activity falls within
or outside the exclusion.” Its case-by-case determinations have been
criticized, however, “for giving the exclusion a narrow scope that disallows
replacement of significant plant components with identical or functionally
equivalent components,” with the result that plant owners and operators are
discouraged from “replacements that are important to restoring, maintaining
and improving plant safety, reliability, and efficiency.” Moreover,
uncertainties created by the case-by-case approach “discourage replacements
that would promote safety, reliability and efficiency even in instances
where, if the matter were brought to [the] EPA, [it] would determine that
the replacement in question was MRR.” The EPA states that it is persuaded
that these outcomes do not advance its central objective, which “is not to
cut back on emissions from existing major stationary sources through
limitations on their productive capacity, but rather to ensure that they
will install state-of-the-art pollution controls at a juncture where it
otherwise makes sense to do so.”</span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial">The short petition filed by
the states does not specify the basis for their objection to the rule, but
simply asks the court to review it.</span></p>
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<blockquote>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial">
<small>Robert A. Olson is a partner in the law firm of Brown, Olson &
Gould P.C.
which maintains a nationwide practice in energy law, public utility law and related
commercial transactions. He can be reached at:</small></font><p align="center">
<font face="Arial"><small><font color="#0000FF"><b>Brown, Olson & Gould, PC</b></font><br>
2 Delta Drive, Suite 301<br>
Concord, NH 03301 <br>
<br>
<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> | (603) 225-9716<a href="mailto:[email protected]"></a></small></font>
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