Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on Feb. 29 announced that the EPA plans to delay issuing requirements for existing natural gas-fired stationary combustion turbines under the proposed greenhouse gas rules for the power sector.
EPA proposed a standard in May 2023 that would limit the carbon dioxide emissions of coal- and gas-fired power plants, including certain existing gas plants.
Regan said that the agency's latest plan, to address existing gas generation in a separate rulemaking process, will drive greater emissions reductions.
However, EPA still plans to finalize standards for new CTs and is on track to finalizing emission guidelines for existing coal- and oil-fired boilers in April. APPA will continue to advocate for reasonable carbon emission standards for new natural gas facilities.
According to EPA, the final rulemaking package on March 1 is going to the White House Office of Management and Budget for interagency review.
EPA’s pivot to a new rulemaking package seeks to address public comments the agency received regarding the proposed existing CT performance standard's impact on electric reliability.
APPA’s prior comments on the proposed GHG rules noted that large natural gas units are “critical to maintaining electric reliability because they provide firm, dispatchable capacity that can be ready to serve electric load whenever needed” and “requiring them to co-fire hydrogen would make them the highest cost generation, and last in the dispatch order.” Thus “creating a gap to be filled that may further threaten electric reliability when non-dispatchable resources like wind and solar are not available in sufficient quantities.”
The new rulemaking package will address nitrogen oxide emissions under Clean Air Act (CAA) section 111(b), new source performance standards, air toxics under CAA section 112, national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants (HAP), and CO2 emissions under CAA section 111(d).
EPA indicated that these rulemakings will be developed in tandem, and no timeline has been determined. However, the agency is currently revising the formaldehyde and metallic HAP limits for stationary combustion limits.
