Kansas Sues EPA on CSAPR Rule

 PLEASE READ THIS. YOU NEED TO BE AWARE. This is the first in a series of posts that I will be making on this extremely important topic. The state of Kansas filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) challenging the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). The rule which was finalized by the EPA earlier this year is intended to prevent air pollution from states from contributing to air-quality problems in downwind states. The rule has an effective date of January 1, 2012, and, as written, will require utilities around the country to install hundreds of millions of dollars in new emission control equipment, or shut down existing generation capacity that does not meet the new required emission standards. It is estimated that upwards of 25% of the generating capacity in the United States may be shut down completely or severely curtailed. This will lead to complete blackouts in some areas, and rolling brownouts in many areas. The time frame adopted by the EPA  is far too short for utility companies to have a realistic chance to make the necessary changes. Moreover, this isn’t even considering the huge impact that the massive investments will have on electricity rates for consumers.  It is rumored that the state of Texas will file suit soon. My next post will outline the steps that the Louisiana Public Service Commission is taking to address this extremely critical issue.