Richard Revesz testified at today’s House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing, EPA’s CO2 Regulations for New and Existing Power Plants: Legal Perspectives. Revesz told the committee that the EPA’s flexible, cost-minimizing approach to setting performance standards for existing power plants is consistent with the Clean Air Act and the Constitution.
His testimony covered four main topics:- EPA’s authority to implement the Clean Power Plan under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act;
- How EPA’s proposed approach to setting standards under Section 111(d) is authorized by the statute and based upon demonstrated approaches that power companies have already taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Why the Clean Power Plan does not give rise to any constitutional problems; and
- How the Clean Power Plan will result in substantial net benefits, including significant public health benefits, with reasonable costs and a great deal of flexibility.
The full text of his testimony can be found here. Video of the hearing is available here.