SR0912 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0912 LRB098 20129 MST 55429 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, A reliable and affordable energy supply is vital to Illinois's economic growth, jobs, and the overall interests of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Illinois supports an all-the-above energy strategy because it is in the best interest of Illinois and the nation; and

WHEREAS, The United States has abundant supplies of coal that provides economic and energy security benefits; and

WHEREAS, Coal provides affordable and reliable electricity to the citizens of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Carbon regulations for existing coal-fueled power plants could threaten the affordability and reliability of Illinois's electricity supplies and risk substantial job losses through the premature closure of power plants that have just invested in pollution controls to meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency's recent mercury regulations; and

WHEREAS, Carbon dioxide emissions for United States' coal-fueled power plants represent only 3% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, The United States Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. electric sector carbon dioxide emissions will be 14% below 2005 levels in 2020 and that carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. coal-fueled power plants will be 19% below 2005 levels in 2020; and

WHEREAS, On June 25, 2013 the President directed the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to issue standards, regulations, or guidelines to address carbon dioxide emissions from new, existing, modified, and reconstructed fossil-fueled power plants; and

WHEREAS, The President expressly recognized that states "will play a central role in establishing and implementing carbon standards for existing power plants"; and

WHEREAS, The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a procedure under which each state shall develop a plan for establishing and implementing standards of performance for existing sources within the state; and

WHEREAS, The Clean Air Act expressly allows states, in developing and applying such standards of performance, "to take into consideration, among other factors, the remaining useful life of the existing source to which such standard applies"; and

WHEREAS, The Environmental Protection Agency's existing regulations provide that states may adopt "less stringent emissions standards or longer compliance schedules" than EPA's guidelines based on factors such as "unreasonable cost of control", "physical impossibility of installing necessary control equipment" or other factors that make less stringent standards or longer compliance times "significantly more reasonable"; and

WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of electricity consumers in Illinois to continue to benefit from reliable, affordable electricity provided by coal-based electricity generating plants; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that urges we urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in developing guidelines for regulating carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, to respect the primacy of Illinois and other states and to rely on state regulators to develop performance standards for carbon dioxide emissions that take into account the unique policies, energy needs, resource mix, and economic priorities of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Environmental Protection Agency should issue guidelines and approve state-established performance standards that are based on reductions of carbon dioxide emissions achievable by measures undertaken at fossil-fueled power plants; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Environmental Protection Agency should allow Illinois and other states to set less stringent performance standards or longer compliance schedules for power plants within their jurisdiction; and be it further

RESOLVED, That Illinois and other states should be given maximum flexibility by the Environmental Protection Agency to implement carbon dioxide performance standards for fossil-fueled power plants within their jurisdiction; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Congressional delegation, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Gina McCarthy, and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.