The EPA is working on plans to reduce emissions caused by factories which account for a signifcant part of the harm to the environment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that during this next year, they will work to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries and power plants. They will also start announcing plans on how that will happen. This was a result of a lawsuit against the EPA.
Eleven states, the District of Columbia and New York City have all settled lawsuits with the EPA. Under the agreement, the EPA will propose standards for power plants by July 2011, with final standards by May 2012. By December 2011, they will have regulations for refineries and final standards for them will be in place by November 2012.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson said, “We are following through on our commitment to proceed in a measured and careful way to reduce GHG pollution that threatens the health and welfare of Americans.”
Jackson went on to say that the power plants and oil refineries contribute about 40 percent of the greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S.
More than 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions come from power plants each year. This is more than any other industry, followed by the oil refineries and as the second largest contributor.
Although the EPA has agreed to start regulating these industries better, it is still vague on how strict they will be and how much of a reduction of carbon dioxide there will be.
