April 22, 2020 - Not content with filing only one petition with EPA to protect the coal industry, the Saving US Coal team has filed a second petition asking the EPA to repeal its Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act (74 FR 66,496, Dec 15, 2009) and this time specifically requesting summary dismissal of the Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS) Petition.

During the research work carried out in preparing the first Petition filed on March 9, 2020, an earlier filing dated April 3, 2019 was discovered by dozens of environmental groups led by Food & Water Watch seeking a declaration that CO2 and five other greenhouse gases be regulated as Hazardous Air Pollutants under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act. This would certainly mean the end of coal combustion for electricity in the US and something had to be done to defend coal.

This second new Petition in support of coal was filed by the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change and was prepared by the Centers’ Fred Palmer, J.D. Senior Fellow - CO2 Policy and head of Saving US Coal, and Frank Clemente, Ph.D. Senior Fellow – Energy Analytics. The Petition builds on the central theme that CO2 emissions and fossil fuel use enhance life and are not a current or future threat to public welfare.

Fred Palmer

Frank Clemente

“The projected risks and adverse consequences of rising greenhouse gases are failing to materialize,“ said Craig D. Idso, Ph.D., Chairman of the Center.“CO2 emissions and fossil fuel use during the Modern Era have actually enhanced life with improved standards of living and are likely to continue to do so as more fossil fuels are utilized.”

Craig Idso

Atmospheric CO2 is not the all-important greenhouse gas Food & Water Watch claim it to be, says the Petition. Rising atmospheric CO2 is actually benefitting humanity and the natural world and the Petition includes a visual display of key metrics that confirm the relationship between fossil fuel use and human progress. Additional evidence is provided showing that the EPA 2009 Endangerment Finding is scientifically flawed.

Both these Petitions are designed to save what’s left of the U.S. coal industry by calling upon the EPA to overturn its 2009 Endangerment Finding and also requesting summary dismissal of the Air Toxic Petition. The Saving US Coal campaign was launched by CoalZoom in November as a major effort to save coal and coal jobs. The campaign seeks funds to pay for the legal work and public relations campaign this project requires.

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