Text: SCR00005 Text: SCR00007 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY BOLKCOM
1 3 A Concurrent Resolution opposing rule changes to the new source
1 4 review air pollution control program.
1 5 WHEREAS, the new source review air pollution
1 6 control program administered by the federal
1 7 environmental protection agency under the authority of
1 8 the federal Clean Air Act required existing power
1 9 plants, refineries, and other industrial facilities to
1 10 install improved air pollution controls when
1 11 upgrading, expanding, or making physical or
1 12 operational changes that result in a significant
1 13 increase in air emissions, unless the modifications
1 14 were considered routine maintenance; and
1 15 WHEREAS, these power plants, refineries, and other
1 16 industrial facilities were already exempted under the
1 17 federal Clean Air Act and allowed to continue
1 18 polluting at their historic levels, as long as they
1 19 did not undertake major changes; and
1 20 WHEREAS, the federal environmental protection
1 21 agency recently approved sweeping new rule changes for
1 22 the new source review air pollution control program
1 23 that would allow certain industrial plants, including
1 24 oil refineries and other facilities that meet certain
1 25 criteria, to operate for a 10-year period without new
1 26 source review air pollution control program scrutiny;
1 27 allow industrial plants, under plantwide applicability
1 28 limits, to clean up some emissions sources while
1 29 allowing other emission sources to increase emissions,
1 30 as long as total emissions do not violate a sitewide
2 1 cap; and extend a more lenient baseline emissions
2 2 provision to project how plant changes will affect
2 3 future emissions; and
2 4 WHEREAS, the federal environmental protection
2 5 agency has also approved proposed rule changes to the
2 6 new source review air pollution control program that
2 7 would allow plants to undertake extensive changes
2 8 without triggering requirements to reduce pollutants
2 9 as long as the cost of the changes was below certain
2 10 levels, and, by redefining routine maintenance,
2 11 repair, and replacement, allow power plants,
2 12 refineries, and industrial facilities to upgrade their
2 13 dirtiest facilities, without installing modernized air
2 14 pollution control equipment; and
2 15 WHEREAS, studies clearly demonstrate that
2 16 industrial air pollution is a major cause of
2 17 environmental harm and poses a significant risk to
2 18 human health; and
2 19 WHEREAS, enhanced air pollution control capacity in
2 20 older power plants, refineries, and other industrial
2 21 facilities, especially those located in upwind states
2 22 in the midwest and the south, is critical to improving
2 23 air quality and public health because prevailing winds
2 24 can transport air pollutants and pollutant precursors
2 25 up to 500 miles; and
2 26 WHEREAS, implementation of these recently adopted
2 27 and proposed rule changes would be detrimental to the
2 28 public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of
2 29 Iowa and harmful to the environment and represent a
2 30 retreat from stricter air pollution rules; NOW
3 1 THEREFORE,
3 2 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
3 3 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
3 4 opposes recently adopted rule changes to the new
3 5 source review air pollution control program by the
3 6 federal environmental protection agency that would
3 7 allow industrial polluters to operate outside new
3 8 source review scrutiny, selectively clean up emission
3 9 sources, and more leniently calculate the effect of
3 10 plant changes on polluting emissions; and
3 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
3 12 strongly opposes changes that would allow industrial
3 13 facilities, when undertaking plant upgrades, to avoid
3 14 the necessity of modernizing and upgrading air
3 15 pollution control equipment in certain circumstances;
3 16 and
3 17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
3 18 opposes any proposed rule changes that would weaken
3 19 provisions of the federal Clean Air Act and allow many
3 20 existing stationary sources of air pollution, such as
3 21 power plants and refineries, to make improvements
3 22 without regard to changes in emissions; and
3 23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
3 24 supports and encourages efforts by northeastern states
3 25 to block implementation of the recently enacted new
3 26 source review pollution control program rule changes
3 27 and supports the lawsuit, to be filed in the United
3 28 States District Court of Appeals, that argues the rule
3 29 changes are inconsistent with the federal Clean Air
3 30 Act and should be invalidated; and
4 1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
4 2 urges all members of Iowa's congressional delegation
4 3 to strongly oppose any changes that would weaken the
4 4 provisions of the federal Clean Air Act; and
4 5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
4 6 Resolution be sent by the Secretary of the Senate to
4 7 the President of the United States, the President of
4 8 the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United
4 9 States House of Representatives, and to all members of
4 10 Iowa's congressional delegation.
4 11 LSB 2223SS 80
4 12 tm/sh/8
Text: SCR00005 Text: SCR00007 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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