June 4, 2020 - A second petition has been filed to save the US coal industry. The petition asks 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 requests summary dismissal of the Hazardous Air Pollutants Petition. Dozens of environmental groups led by Food & Water Watch are 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 would also mean the end of natural gas and oil for electricity generation.

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, JD Senior Fellow - CO2 Policy and head of Saving US Coal, and Frank Clemente PhD 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.

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 threat to both natural gas and oil are also very real and taking these actions are the only way that America can keep its reliable electricity grid.