The federal shutdown forced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to rescheduled the 11 public listening sessions it had scheduled across the country, including one in Philadelphia, to solicit ideas and input from the public and stakeholders about the best Clean Air Act approaches to reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants.

The Philadelphia session will now be on November 8 at the U.S. EPA Region 3 Office at William J. Green, Jr. Federal Building, 600 Arch Street from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Clean Air Act gives both EPA and states a role in reducing air pollution from power plants that are already in operation. The law directs EPA to establish guidelines, which states use to design their own programs to reduce emissions.

Before proposing guidelines, EPA must consider how power plants with a variety of different configurations would be able to reduce carbon pollution in a cost-effective way.

The feedback from these 11 public listening sessions will play an important role in helping EPA develop smart, cost-effective guidelines that reflect the latest and best information available. The agency will seek additional public input during the notice and comment period once it issues a proposal, by June 2014.

For more information, visit EPA’s Listening Sessions webpage. For those who cannot attend these sessions, input can be e-mailed to: carbonpollutioninput@epa.gov by November 8.

For more information about EPA’s carbon pollution standards for the power sector visit the Carbon Standards webpage.

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10/21/2013