EPA to loosen controls on power-plant pollution

The Bush administration is moving to adopt rules that would loosen pollution controls on power plants, by judging the plants on their hourly rate of emissions rather than their total annual output, people familiar with the matter said. Under current policy, power plants that make upgrades to operate longer and increase emissions must install pollution-control equipment. The proposed rules, which seek to make it easier for older power plants to extend their life span and upgrade without installing costly new equipment, are tied to an hourly rate of emissions. As long as a power plant's hourly emissions stay at or below the plant's historical maximum, the plant would be treated as if it were running more cleanly, even if its total annual emissions increased as plant operators stepped up operations. The Environmental Protection Agency had outlined the most-recent version of the rules in 2007. It isn't clear how soon the administration plans to finalize the rule change, though one person familiar with the agency's internal deliberations said work on the rule has sped up noticeably in recent weeks. EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said Sunday that "work continues" on the proposed rule change and that "no timeframe has been set" for adopting it. Bush administration officials have said the proposed change would provide power plants clearer and simpler rules for operating safely, efficiently, and affordably and that other EPA programs could be relied upon to drive down plants' emissions. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) last week wrote EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and urged him not to go forward with the rule. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.), who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, on Friday threatened to investigate the EPA if it finalizes the regulation. "If the EPA does promulgate the rule, this committee may be compelled to undertake extensive investigation and oversight of the agency's and its officials' conduct and actions," Sens. Boxer and Tom Carper (D., Del.) wrote in a letter.