EPA Emissions Proposed Rule

Dear ABO member,

In June, the EPA issued its proposed emissions rule for existing power plants. This rule gives states broad flexibility with regard to meeting emissions targets, however, the rule does not mention carbon utilization as an acceptable method of CO2 reduction.

I have met with White House staff as well as staff from many House and Senate offices to explain that the EPA is missing an opportunity to support utilization of carbon for the production of valuable products. Now it is time for you to act. Here are three action items for ABO members. I hope you will implement them all.

1. Send Comments to EPA.

  1. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposed rule is October 16, 2014. Please submit comments by this date.
  2. Please download this sample letter which you can tailor. It includes an e-mail address for easy submission. Note that confidential information should not be included in these comments as they will be made public.
  3. More information on the proposed rule, including instructions for submitting confidential information, can be found here.

2. Contact your State Air Quality Officials.

  1. Request that they ask the EPA to clarify that carbon utilization technologies would be acceptable components of a state plan.
  2. You can also download this letter I sent to air quality commissioners in all 50 states. Please feel free to send that letter to your commissioner along with your EPA comments.
  3. A list of state air quality officials can be found here.
  4. Please follow up with your state air quality office requesting a meeting or letting them know that the ABO is a resource should they need more information.

3. Coming Soon – Have Everybody You Know Sign the Carbon Utilization Petition.

  1. We are in the process of initiating a “We the People” petition asking the President to support inclusion of carbon utilization language in the EPA final rule on emissions from existing power plants. We will need 150 signatures for it to be published on the White House website. We will then need 100,000 signatures in order to have the petition presented to the President.
  2. Please look for another action alert which will include instructions for signing the petition.

Thank you for all of your help!

Sincerely,

Matt Carr
Executive Director
Algae Biomass Organization
mcarr@algaebiomass.org
Phone: (877)531-5512