Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
5/9/2014
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this week blocked Senate Republicans from offering two amendments to an energy efficiency bill that would have targeted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed New Source Performance Standards. The EPA proposal would set emissions guidelines and largely mandate carbon capture and sequestration for new coal-fired power plants. One amendment backed by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, though, would have barred the EPA from issuing, implementing or enforcing new source performance standards unless those standards meet a list of requirements, including that they may not set a standard based on the best system of emission reduction for new sources within a fossil-fuel category unless that standard has been achieved for at least one year on six units, which must be located on different power stations in different locations on a commercial basis. McConnell’s proposal also would have prevented the EPA from using results obtained from any demonstration project in setting the standard. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) had proposed an amendment the bill to include a provision that should the EPA propose a rule that limits greenhouse gas emissions which would result in increased costs to any federal agency, they must also include in the rule an offset from funds available to the Administrator.
However, Reid used a procedural maneuver known as ‘filling the tree” to block the Republican amendments. Reid had proposed a deal to Senate Republicans, offering a binding vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, if the energy efficiency bill were to pass. McConnell agreed to pass the bill if five Republican amendments were added, including his own. Reid rejected this offer and McConnell in turn rejected Reid’s. The Senate is expected to vote on whether or not to end debate on the energy efficiency bill early next week, but its overall future remains uncertain.
