Michael J. Bradley Testifies Before Congress in Support of EPA's Proposed Toxics Rule

Michael J. Bradley, executive director of the Clean Energy Group and founder of M.J. Bradley & Associates, testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Power on behalf of the Clean Energy Group's Clean Air Policy Initiative in support of EPA's proposed Toxics Rule (aka Utility MACT).

In his testimony, Mr. Bradley emphasized that there is no reason to delay implementation of the Utility Toxics Rule. He noted that:

• The Utility Toxics Rule provides businesses the certainty the electric sector needs to move forward with capital investment decisions;
• The proposal, while not perfect, is reasonable and consistent with the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA);
• The electric sector is well positioned to comply with the proposed rule because the compliance technologies are available and cost effective; and
• The CAA provides sufficient time to comply as well as the authority to accommodate special circumstances where additional time is necessary.

The Clean Energy Group and other companies are in the process of evaluating specific technical issues, but anticipate that continued engagement with EPA during the comment period will lead to a final rule that is balanced and flexible, allowing the industry to comply. "In 2000, EPA took the first step toward regulating those emissions, and over a decade later, EPA is now under a court?ordered deadline to finalize the rule by November 2011," said Bradley. "While complying with these obligations will take planning and significant resources by the electric sector, many companies are well on their way toward compliance and, we anticipate that the electric sector can comply with the Act's requirements."

The Clean Energy Group's Clean Air Policy Initiative members include leading energy companies - Austin Energy, Avista Corporation, Calpine Corporation, Constellation Energy, Exelon Corporation, National Grid, New York Power Authority, NextEra Energy, PG&E Corporation, Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc., and Seattle City Light.

The full statement of the Clean Energy Group's Clean Air Policy Initiative is available here.

Michael's testimony is available here, and other witnesses' testimony may be accessed here.