Response to EEI’s Timeline of Environmental Regulations

The World Resources Institute (WRI) challenges a timeline produced by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), asserting that the EPA is pursuing a realistic regulatory schedule for the electric power sector. WRI contends that many items on the EEI timeline are procedural or existing obligations rather than new requirements. The document highlights significant 'regulatory lag time,' noting that the industry has had years or decades of notice for most pollutants. It emphasizes that finalizing these rules under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is essential for public health and provides the investment certainty needed for a 21st-century power fleet.

• The Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) regulatory timeline is misleading because it includes procedural events, rules already in effect, and standards for states that do not impose direct compliance obligations on power plants.
• The electric power industry has had extensive notice regarding the regulation of various pollutants, with some regulations having been in the pipeline for over ten years.
• Specific pollutants have experienced extreme regulatory lag times: cooling water intake regulations have a lag of 38 years (since 1972), power plant effluent has a lag of 23 years (since 1982), and mercury has a lag of 15 years (since 2000).
• Electric power plants were significant contributors to U.S. emissions in 2005, accounting for 70% of SO2, 50% of mercury, 34% of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and 18% of NOx emissions.
• Finalizing EPA regulations is necessary to remove investment uncertainty for plant operators, as the specific compliance obligations remain unclear until rules are final.
• The EPA's regulatory framework for air pollutants has provided estimated annual public health benefits between $77 billion and $519 billion (in 2001 dollars).

APA

World Resources Institute (2010). Response to EEI’s Timeline of Environmental Regulations. http://pdf.wri.org/factsheets/factsheet_response_to_eei_timeline.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Response to EEI’s Timeline of Environmental Regulations. 2010. http://pdf.wri.org/factsheets/factsheet_response_to_eei_timeline.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Response to EEI’s Timeline of Environmental Regulations |date=1 November 2010 |url=http://pdf.wri.org/factsheets/factsheet_response_to_eei_timeline.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2010response, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Response to EEI’s Timeline of Environmental Regulations}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {http://pdf.wri.org/factsheets/factsheet_response_to_eei_timeline.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }