What’s in store for you now that CO2 is a dangerous pollutant?
December 9, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Special Report, Wind Power, solar power
Now that EPA officially says carbon dioxide (CO2) is a dangerous air pollutant, what’s it mean for business?
It’s high time to embrace concepts like energy efficiency or energy conservation or whatever you want to call it. Most smart money’s on those who are looking for ways to use less energy and rely more on power made by renewable sources like solar, wind and geothermal to reduce their company’s carbon footprint.
Reason: EPA’s action gives the Obama administration the ticket to force radical changes throughout the American economy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. So, the fewer GHG emissions your facility creates directly, or indirectly by buying electricity produced by burning fossil fuels, the cheaper it will be for you to operate and the fewer regulatory hassles you’ll have to deal with.
Benefit: Whether your company makes these changes willingly or not, everybody can claim green credits for reducing GHG emissions and helping fight climate change.
In the short term, the biggest changes flowing from this “endangerment” finding is that it clears the way for EPA to:
- impose tailpipe standards on GHG emissions from cars and trucks. It will be the first time EPA sets GHG tailpipe emission standards, and
- force industrial facilities to actually control and reduce their GHG releases by installing what’s known as best available control technology.
EPA is expected to break regulatory speed records to get both Clean Air Act rules out in final form by March 2010.
At first, EPA says regulation will be limited to the 13,000 largest facilities — the ones that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of GHGs a year. But many fear EPA will be forced to regulate smaller facilities as well, and all EPA has to do is to lower this 25,000 ton threshold.
There’s already precedent to do this. Oregon’s GHG reporting rule, for example, starts by regulating those that emit 25,000 metric tons per year. But in year two of the program, the reporting threshold falls to 2,500 metric tons per year. The reporting threshold in Washington state is 10,000 metric tons per year.
The tailpipe GHG emission standard will force U.S. automakers to make more fuel efficient vehicles.
Normally, the auto industry would raise all kinds of ruckus to avoid making more efficient cars. However, now that GM and Chrysler fell into bankruptcy and were bailed out by the U.S. taxpayer, President Obama gets to call the shots on this issue, so they won’t be able to oppose the new standards.
Most agree that EPA’s regulation will be far tougher on industry and business than the proposed cap-and-trade program being negotiated in Congress.
Obama has said he prefers the national cap-and-trade program and will restrain EPA if Congress approves emission trading program legislation.
Tags: endangerment finding, energy efficiency, greenhouse gases, renewable energy
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December 10th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Just one word for you – Climagate. It is amazing the lengths this administration will go to to get what it wants. I guess the EPA drank the koolaid too. Getting ready for some “change” people – it’s coming – exactly what you asked for!!! (right?)
December 10th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Maybe I should fly my private jet to Copenhagen, get a stretch limo to go to the conference, and tell the little people how to live like the other 1,600 Hippocrates!
December 10th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Save the trees and kill the children.
More Government and more taxes.
December 10th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
So is Oxygen and water, now what?
December 10th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
“CO2 a dangerous air pollutant” – what’s sad about that statement is that most Americans will believe that it is so. How sad.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
When will the people of this great country wake up and realize that Global Warming is nothing but a hugh fraud. It was perpetrated over the years to find a way to tax ALL businesses and tax paying people for the “Good of the World”. Remember that any Treaty signed by the USA supersedes our Constitution and we will be governed under Global Law. That means that the USA if ordered to pay more to 3rd world countries will have no choice in the matter. These countries will have complete access to the U.S. Treasury and the more we have to pay the higher our taxes will go. Is this the CHANGE we want?
December 10th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Elections have consequences – you voted for Hope and Change – and look what we got.
America is going down the tubes thanks to Nobama and the democRATS.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Free enterprise is all well and good, and has helped create innovation and efficiency. But, without some kind of government regulation, we would still have child labor, 6-day work weeks, and lakes that burst into flames due to chemicals floating on the surface. Sometimes, forces that are outside the economic system need to be brought into check.
PS Hippocrates was a Greek philospher and the founder of medecine; a hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
So, CO2 is a dangerous air pollutant. Why can’t anyone convince the plant life of this? This is the biggest farce of this Administration yet. I can’t believe the amount of people who buy into this garbage. If we can’t use this planet comfortably (they will tell us to only breathe out once a minute, pretty soon) then we might as well all go jump in the ocean.
That is what you get when a bunch of atheists are in charge. God created this planet and he takes care of it. The WIND STORM we had in Phoenix the other night blew away any extra CO2 that might have been hanging around. This is pathetic.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Our government wants us all to hold our breath, don’t exhale CO2, hold our tongues before speaking the truth, and let the myth of man-made climate change remain unchallenged in the main stream, hypnotized media.
Incredible.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
The people responsible for saying that C02 is a toxin should be thrown in federal prison,
our country cannot take this BS anymore.
the EPA is out of control, along with the rest of this political money grabbing MOB we call Goverment!
December 10th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
This administration and its liberal lawyers are setting new standards for finding ways to move around the constitution and the accepted and standard ways for passing laws and legislation. I can see the needle of my freedom-ometer fall daily! Steve is correct and I’ll go further – EVERYTHING is a pollutant after it reaches a point! Sadly 45% of the country believes everything they hear. Remember folks, politicians are lawyers. They’re trained to debate and to win by debate.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
WOLVERINE!!!
We cannot take this any longer!!!
WOLVERINE!!!
IT IS PAST TIME WE STAND UP AND FIGHT THESE LIARS!!! AND TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!!!
December 11th, 2009 at 7:19 am
As for the person who made the comment about “Nobama” and the democrates causing America to go down the tube…I’m not saying they’re dong everything right but the republicans had several years (as well as other democrats before them) to screw things up. We can’t expect one person or one government to fix things overnight. Give them a chance.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Kat, this is an old argument worn out and over used. Free enterprise made this country; we do not need more government involvement.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Since I have done my part for our shared environment by not buying a car and raising 3 daughters who also do not drive, I am happy to know that U.S. automakers will have to improve their tailpipe emissions. It is about time for me and my family to breathe clean air.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
First, Marie LJM, if you don’t drive (assumming your husbands don’t either) you must use public transportation. Anyone ever driven behind a bus?????
Also, its a good thing you already have you 3 children. There are those in this Administration who want to put a cap on how many kids we can have. ! as in ONE.
Makes me laugh, it is SO COLD in Copenhagen!! The representatives there do not have enough warm clothes………and so much for buying any in Copenhagen, as they don’t produce any there, and things imported from Taiwan and Mexico are not very warm. And did you know? A small lunch is upwards of $65.00. A cup of coffee? or cappachino (sp? ) try $16. And just think how much CO2
they are going to churn out just to get home.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Global climate change is real, and scientificly proven through historical events, however; CO2 is also real, BUT, trees and all vegetation needs it to live, so there must be a balance, and what about methane?/ Come on people, let’s get to facts no supposition and wild propaganda, Nobel Peace Prize or not, let us become sane and mature, then address what the real problems are, and not the political agendas.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Greenhouse gases need to be reduced – - yesterday.
Kit, Vicky, Marie-Louis and Leslie are correct*, so get used to the new paradigm. What do we have to do?
1. Identify CO2 emission sources in your facility 2. Quantify volume of emissions & document this data 3. Consider ways to ‘Engineer’ the CO2 emissions problem out of your systems 4. Plan and Implement a program of CO2 emission reductions. 5. Repeat steps 1-4. (=Done.)
Don’t be too shocked if your pro-active program keeps your company in business significantly longer than the non-responsive competition. At the very least, it might save your job! At the most – - save our biosphere for future humankind.
* The REST of you – Stop whining, and do something constructive to help the environment.
December 15th, 2009 at 6:04 am
[...] are on top of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions that are going to play an important role in the carbon-regulated world that lies just ahead. The basic rule: When you improve energy efficiency by 35%, you also cut GHGs by 35%. EPA says the [...]
December 15th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere by a variety of natural sources, and over 95% of total CO2 emissions would occur even if humans were not present on Earth. For example, the natural decay of organic material in forests and grasslands, such as dead trees, results in the release of about 220 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year. But these natural sources are nearly balanced by physical and biological processes, called natural sinks, which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. For example, some carbon dioxide dissolves in sea water, and some is removed by plants as they grow.
You see, it is not the “over 95 percent” of CO2 that comes from natural emissions that is causing a problem, it is the less than 5 percent supposedly produced by us evil humans that is causing all the trouble.
Sounds like an easy solution to me, just do away with the evil humans and the earth will heal itself and all will be well with the world.
SAVE THE TREES, KILL THE CHILDREN!!!
December 16th, 2009 at 6:04 am
[...] EPA will regulate the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, mostly coal-fired power plants and large industrial facilities that release more than 25,000 [...]
December 16th, 2009 at 9:32 am
The geologic record indicates that earth has heated and cooled. During these changes the glaciers melted and the oceans transgresed over much of the land. Likewise…glaciers formed and the oceans regressed. This was long before humans existed. Plate tectonics that generate earthquakes and volcanos generate CO2. Also the oceans have shown that CO2 is concentrated in certain regions and is “belched” back to the surface and released to the atmosphere. Active studies of the glacial ice in Antartica are continuing where plant/animal life and trapped bubbles of the ancient atmosphere of Earth are being analyzed and at some point should indicate how much of a footprint humans are leaving.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
This is a real crock, not just the whole Climate Change Global Warming schtick that the govs trying to force upon us. But does everyone understand that CO2 only makes up .03% of all green house gases? Seems to me if the real concern was the effect that the GHG’s have on the Global Warming farce, then they would want to focus their efforts on the other contributors that make up the lion’s share of the green house gases. Welcome to CAP and TAX and the destruction of our republic.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Thank you EHS, Geologist.! I appreciate comments from people who know what they are talking about and don’t just side with or reject issues because of political reasons.
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 am
[...] EPA will regulate the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, mostly coal-fired power plants and large industrial facilities that release more than 25,000 [...]