The Supreme Court "Tailors" EPA's GHG Permitting Program
Yesterday, Justice Scalia, writing for a majority of the United States Supreme Court, invalidated EPA's greenhouse-gas (GHG) regulations to the extent they require stationary sources to obtain a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and/or Title V major source permit based solely on the source's GHG emissions. The Court, however, also validated EPA's extension of "best available control technology" (BACT) requirements to GHG emissions at sources already subject to PSD requirements based on criteria pollutant emissions (so-called "PSD-anyway" sources). Thus, while EPA's authority to require BACT controls for GHGs at so-called PSD-anyway sources was upheld, the broad scope of authority claimed by EPA was significantly reduced. The case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA ("UARG"), No. 12-1146, is a significant development in EPA's efforts at regulating GHGs in the absence of Congressional action and, as discussed below, raises a number of important issues and questions.
About Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, one of the Rocky Mountain region’s preeminent law firms, serves clients nationally and internationally, with a strong focus on corporate finance and governance, mergers and acquisitions, natural resources, environmental law, real estate, and complex litigation. Our lawyers have extensive experience working with companies in the energy, mining, technology, hospitality, private equity, manufacturing, asset management, and aviation industries. As the exclusive member firm in Colorado for Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms, DGS has access to in-depth experience in 100+ countries worldwide.