Posted on January 26,
Almost every day we hear about the seemingly glacial pace of the current recovery and the unfortunate persistence of unemployment. Some of the discourse has focused on regulatory uncertainty, more specifically, the numerous and amorphous dictates of health care and financial reform and whether they are a cause of structural unemployment. Less often we hear similar concerns about EPA’s rule for green house gases.
More pernicious to unemployment than these high profile government actions, however, are relatively small revisions to the law through agency actions on permits, orders
Particulate Matter Regulation
Particulate matter has been regulated under the Clean Air Act since its inception. Over time, the regulated form or portion of the particulate matter has changed as EPA has focused on fine particulate and its potential for respiratory damage. In 1985 EPA issued regulations establishing National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns). Over time, EPA developed techniques for measurement, control, monitoring
A little over a year (and a change in Administrations) later, in the context of acting on a petition for an objection to a Title V permit for an individual power plant, EPA abruptly did an about face, declaring that “permit applicants and permitting authorities [must] determine whether PM10 is a reasonable surrogate for PM2.5 under the facts and circumstances of the specific permit at issue, and not proceed on a general presumption that PM10 is always a reasonable surrogate for PM2.5.” Remarkably, the Trimble Order provides no explanation whatsoever as to how the new “requirement” to conduct a case-by-case assessment overrides the transition rule for SIP-approved states established through notice and comment procedures in the PM2.5 NSR implementation rule. Moreover, the order fails to explain why the court opinions “that are properly read as limiting the use of PM10 as a surrogate” – all of which predated the 2008 PM2.5 NSR implementation rule – somehow have greater force and effect now than they did at the time the transition policy was established in the implementation rule.
EPA has vigorously insisted on the reasonableness analysis prescribed in the Trimble Order, regulated entities have been forced to attempt to comply with it and state agencies have enforced it. Clearly, EPA’s statements have the requisite practical binding effect to bring them under the purview of the APA. More importantly, this previously unknown requirement for a reasonableness analysis is not a trivial one, especially for projects that are in the middle of permitting, engineering design, financing
Prior Converted Croplands
A more recent Corps decision regarding the treatment of prior converted croplands puts a finer point on the APA implications of rulemaking by permit, order
In a challenge brought by affected landowners, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida found that the Issue Paper was a rulemaking adopted without the required notice and comment under the APA and therefore was not valid. The court explained that the rulemaking process was not a mere technicality because that procedure provided the agency with diverse public comment, accorded fairness to interested parties
Both Trimble County and New Hope Power Company reflect exactly the type of agency activity – the reversal of years of agency practice by a permit, order or guidance document
Tags: Air