In regards to the proposed Clean Power plan, on October 27 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued notice of data availability, with the goal of ensuring that all interested parties are aware of the issues and ideas that have been consistently raised by stakeholders. Public comments are due on Dec. 1, 2014. Notices of data availability are commonly used to present additional information for the public to consider. They do not change a proposal, nor are they a complete summary of the wide variety of ideas that have been raised.
In a separate but related action, EPA is proposing goals for areas of Indian Country and U.S. Territories where fossil-fuel fired power plants are located to reduce their carbon pollution by 2030. Proposed goals for these areas were not included in the June 2014 proposed Clean Power Plan. The supplemental proposal relies on the approach used in the June 2014 Clean Power Plan and is based on new information and data provided through additional outreach to covered facilities and tribal and territorial governments. The proposal outlines a diverse range of options that tribes and territories could use to meet their goals. EPA will hold a public hearing on the supplemental proposal on Nov. 19, 2014 in Phoenix, Ariz. and will accept comment through Dec. 19, 2014.
The actions by the EPA on October 27 are part of the steps laid out in President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and the June 2013 Presidential Memorandum.
Fact sheets and details about the NODA and the supplemental proposal: http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan
More information on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan: http://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change