{"id":1222295,"date":"2022-01-18T14:10:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T19:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1222295"},"modified":"2022-01-18T14:23:26","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T19:23:26","slug":"not-driven-by-sound-science-epa-reversal-on-wyoming-coal-power-plants-plan-criticized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/not-driven-by-sound-science-epa-reversal-on-wyoming-coal-power-plants-plan-criticized\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Not driven by sound science\u2019: EPA Reversal on Wyoming Coal Power Plant\u2019s Plan Criticized"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnot-driven-by-sound-science-epa-reversal-on-wyoming-coal-power-plants-plan-criticized%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1222295&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former EPA regional administrator tells Epoch Times he had approved the plan in November 2020<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>After more than a year of inaction, the Environmental Protection Agency (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-epa\">EPA<\/a>) announced on Jan. 12 that it proposes to disapprove the State of Wyoming\u2019s changes to its regional haze plan for PacifiCorp\u2019s Jim Bridger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-coal\">coal<\/a> power plant, potentially closing down Unit 2 of the facility for a year or more.<\/p>\n<p>Yet in an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, a Trump EPA official verified that he greenlit those changes in November 2020.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216353\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4216353\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-16-at-9.55.33-AM.png\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"177\" height=\"213\" \/><\/noscript>Greg Sopkin, former Region 8 administrator of the EPA. (Courtesy of EPA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Greg Sopkin, former Region 8 administrator of the EPA, said that \u201cto the best of [his] recollection,\u201d he approved Wyoming\u2019s revised submission \u201con or around Nov. 20, 2020.\u201d Sopkin noted that he had stopped working for the EPA in November 2020.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, the EPA told The Epoch Times that the action didn\u2019t take effect because it hadn\u2019t yet appeared in the Federal Register, leaving it subject to the White House\u2019s Jan. 20, 2021,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/20\/regulatory-freeze-pending-review\/\">Regulatory Freeze Pending Review Memorandum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA\u2019s proposed rule comes just weeks after Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon issued an <a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/attachments\/WYGOV\/2021\/12\/27\/file_attachments\/2032424\/Emergency%20Suspension%20Letter,%20Attachments.pdf\">emergency suspension order<\/a>\u00a0to keep the unit open. That order came after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/2021-11\/reganrh11-15-21.pdf\">Gordon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/2022-01\/2021-1119-pacificorp-notice-of-intent-to-sue-re-wy-rh-sip.pdf\">PacifiCorp<\/a> notified the EPA of their intent to sue over its inaction on the proposal on Nov. 14, 2021, based on its alleged violation of a nondiscretionary duty under the Clean Air Act.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216342\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4216342\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-74929012-1200x800-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript>A field of weat in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, on June 26, 2007. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Gordon\u2019s Dec. 27, 2021, order, he wrote that installation of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on Unit 2 by Dec. 31, 2021, as required by the existing plan, wouldn\u2019t be feasible \u201cat this late hour.\u201d That plan also mandates the installation of an SCR system on Unit 1 of the plant by Dec. 31., 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The state instead wants to implement visibility-enhancing emissions limits on nitrogen oxide (NO<sub>x<\/sub>) and sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2<\/sub>) as proposed by PacifiCorp in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon\u2019s letter ended with a state of Wyoming-sponsored analysis from Timothy Considine, a professor of energy economics at the University of Wyoming. Considine calculated that the closing of Unit 2 could decrease value added to the state of Wyoming by $148.6 million while also reducing annual tax revenue by $33.2 million and employee compensation by $34.9 million.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, he estimated that the closure would cost 404 Wyoming jobs, including those directly and indirectly supported by the plant, as well as jobs induced by it. Most of those projected job losses would occur in Sweetwater County, the site of the plant and the coal mines that support it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216349\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4216349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1229298539-1200x790-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\" \/><\/noscript>Supporters holds signs in favor of coal mining as then-President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again campaign rally at Altoona-Blair County Airport in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 26, 2020. (SAUL LOEB\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mayor Tim Kaumo of Rock Springs, Wyoming, the most populous city in Sweetwater County, didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment (Kaumo was cc\u2019d on Gordon\u2019s Dec. 27, 2021, emergency suspension). Representatives for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, a partnership between the county and local cities to aid businesses in the area, also didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment by press time.<\/p>\n<p>The state of Wyoming submitted its proposed revision to the EPA in May 2020. Gordon\u2019s emergency suspension order noted that the Trump administration\u2019s EPA had completed its review of the revision in November 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWyoming was notified on November 23, 2020 that the former Region 8 administrator, Gregory Sopkin, had signed the proposed action on November 20, 2020, and that Wyoming would be informed when the action would be published in the Federal Register. But that did not happen,\u201d Gordon\u2019s letter reads.<\/p>\n<p>Sopkin confirmed his approval of the submission.<\/p>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/EPA-R08-OAR-2020-0441-0001\">proposed rule<\/a> and a related\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-proposes-disapprove-revisions-wyomings-2014-regional-haze-plan-inconsistent-0\">statement<\/a>, EPA doesn\u2019t appear to address those actions.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216344\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4216344\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Coal-plant-wyoming-1200x800-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript>A coal fired power plant in Laramie, Wyoming, on June 26, 2007. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The EPA\u2019s proposed rule does state that SCRs on Units 1 and 2 of Bridger would \u201cyield appreciable visibility improvement at a reasonable cost.\u201d It noted that the state had previously agreed that costs for the SCR requirements were reasonable and that those costs as estimated by the state remained \u201ceminently reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Gordon\u2019s emergency suspension letter, he wrote that there were \u201cno known disadvantages\u201d to PacifiCorp\u2019s proposed changes. Notably, PacifiCorp intends to switch to natural gas from coal on Units 1 and 2 by 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn light of this intention, it will never make sense for PacifiCorp to install SCR at Unit 2 for the purpose of restarting the Unit for the limited period of time until conversion. Accordingly, if EPA forces Unit 2 to shutdown, it will remain shutdown until it can be restarted as a natural gas unit,\u201d Gordon\u2019s letter reads.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA\u2019s statement on its proposed rule states that PacifiCorp\u2019s slated conversion from coal shouldn\u2019t have any bearing on the agency\u2019s decision: \u201cThe company\u2019s intentions are not part of Wyoming\u2019s proposed revisions to its regional haze plan thereby precluding the planned conversion from EPA consideration and analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an email to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for PacifiCorp said \u201cit would not be unusual\u201d for the company to combine its lawsuit with the state of Wyoming\u2019s.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216352\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4216352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1182371314-1200x763-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"407\" \/><\/noscript>A truck delivers coal as heavy equipment moves coal into piles at PacifiCorp\u2019s Hunter coal fired power pant outside of Castle Dale, Utah on Nov. 14, 2019. (GEORGE FREY\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPacifiCorp continues to seek a path that allows the units to continue operating in compliance with the Clean Air Act as we work towards the planned unit conversions to natural gas,\u201d the spokesperson wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Wyoming\u2019s two senators expressed frustration with the EPA and its apparent departure from expectations established under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe EPA\u2019s decision today is a complete reversal from that of career EPA employees during the previous administration,\u201d Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) told The Epoch Times. \u201cThe Biden EPA\u2019s decision here is needlessly hurting Wyoming\u2019s energy workers and threatening America\u2019s energy independence as well. It is blatantly political, and I will continue to block President Biden\u2019s EPA nominees over this issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWyoming has worked tirelessly to comply with federal law on its regional haze plan for the Jim Bridger Power Plant. The Biden administration\u2019s decision to reverse course to appease environmental activists, including climate czars in the White House, will not help the people, or the environment, of Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-john-barrasso\">John Barrasso<\/a> (R-Wyo.) told The Epoch Times: \u201cThe proposal to disapprove the State of Wyoming\u2019s revised regional haze plan is not driven by sound science or sensible policy. It is pure political theater that puts the future of Wyoming\u2019s energy workers at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nathan Worcester is an environmental reporter at The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former EPA regional administrator tells Epoch Times he had approved the plan in November 2020 After more than a year of inaction, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Jan. &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1222295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1222295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1222295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1222295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1222295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}