Bill Text: IL HR0782 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the Environmental Protection Agency to develop guidelines for regulating carbon dioxide emissions that take into account the unique policies, energy needs, resource mixes, and economic priorities of Illinois and other states.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 19-7)

Status: (Passed) 2014-05-30 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Wayne Rosenthal [HR0782 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0782-Introduced.html

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HR0782 LRB098 18890 MST 54037 r
HOUSE 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

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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

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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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 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,

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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.