The country’s evolving regulatory environment and how the installation of a new president in 2017 will impact it have become growing concerns for Louisiana industry.
As detailed in the latest quarterly issue of 10/12 Industry Report, many fear that pending and yet-unknown regulations targeting greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants could increase the cost of doing business.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan figures most prominently. In essence, the plan calls for electrical generators to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by 2030. While it is typical for the EPA to regulate a pollution source, the Clean Power Plan goes a step further, mandating that electrical generators increase their emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
At present, however, the plan is in limbo. Twenty-nine states—including Louisiana—sued the EPA following the plan’s promulgation, prompting the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a stay pending review.
“The challenge to EPA was that they don’t have the authority to tell us how to use our resources,” Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Chuck Carr Brown says. “The states [in the suit] contend the EPA’s authority is limited to controlling what comes out of that stack or piece of equipment.”
Despite the stay, DEQ is taking measures to ensure compliance with established deadlines, even as Louisiana remains a participant in the suit. The first deadline falls in September, when states were originally required to submit a preliminary plan to meet the new standard.
Louisiana’s change from a Republican to Democratic governor earlier this year prompted DEQ to revisit its involvement in the lawsuit.
“We agreed that we would not necessarily remove ourselves from the suit, but would also continue down a parallel course developing those rules,” Brown says. “We can still do what we need to do to meet the deadline in September by conducting some outreach meetings, collecting information, etc.”
Read the full feature from the new quarterly issue of 10/12 Industry Report. Send feedback, story ideas and company news to editor@1012industryreport.com.
