The regulation of coal-fired power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions is now the focus of a congressional investigation. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry A. Waxman, (D-CA) sent a letter early this week to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson requesting information on the EPA’s proposed rule for regulation of new and modified sources of air pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Waxman charges that the rule will “allow old, very dirty power plants to increase the amount of time they operate each year without installing pollution controls,” which will result in increased greenhouse gas emissions. The letter requests that the agency provide information on its consideration of climate change in development of the rule, including modeling and technical analyses, by June 30. The information requested by the Committee will not likely yield any new insights into EPA’s rulemaking, but it will provide another potential avenue to spotlight the Administration’s unwillingness to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

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