EPA is holding a hearing in Dallas on December 9th on a supplemental proposed Texas Regional Haze Plan. If this feels like deja vu all over again, its because this proposal is a third attempt by EPA here in Texas to concoct a rule that might stick but still gives polluters a free pass. This new proposal would continue to allow air pollution at levels that would contaminate our national parks like Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains and harm your health in Dallas and across the state.
The Clean Air Act requires states to develop Regional Haze plans to clean up pollution and improve air quality at iconic national parks and wilderness areas, like Big Bend National Park in Texas or the Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area in Arkansas. Texas never complied and the EPA was required to step in. The Obama-era EPA would have reduced dangerous sulfur dioxide pollution from Texas coal plants by approximately 194,000 tons per year and required emission controls at many dirty, dangerous, and aging coal plants. Instead of requiring Texas’s aging fleet to come into compliance with modern, industry-standard emission controls, this proposal would allow Texas’s aging and uncontrolled coal plants to keep polluting at the same harmful levels.
Implementing a weak pollution credit-trading program IS NOT an adequate alternative to actual pollution controls on Texas coal plants. Egregiously, this proposed rule would still award “pollution credits” to several power plants that have already retired. EPA’s proposed plan gives the remaining massive polluters yet another lifeline by creating a trading program that essentially requires no reductions from Texas power plants--some of the largest sources of pollution in the country. In fact, under the rule, dirty power plants like Vistra’s Martin Lake or NRG’s Houston area W.A.Parish could even pollute MORE than they currently do by buying up pollution credits from retired coal plants and still meet the standard. This is not the path to restoring the vistas in our national parks or to cleaning up the air for our communities breathing the pollution everyday from these dirty, outdated coal plants.
You can show up for the climate; for Texas communities hurt by coal pollution; and for our national parks by appearing in person at the EPA hearing on December 9, 2019 at this location:
The Renaissance Tower, 1201 Elm Street, Room 5220, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75270 beginning at 1:00 pm.
This is your chance to tell EPA why our national parks are important to you, and that requiring pollution reduction from each outdated coal plant is necessary to cleaning up the skies.
See our sample written comments to help you prepare. You can let us know you are likely to attend or get more information by contacting Chrissy Mann at chrissy.mann@sierraclub.org.