Settlement Agreement to Issue Standards of Performance for GHG Emissions from Petroleum Refineries
On December 16, 2010, the EPA entered into a settlement agreement to issue rules that will address greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum refineries. Under the terms of the agreement EPA would commit to issuing proposed regulations for new sources and emissions guidelines for existing sources by December 10, 2011 and final regulations by November 10, 2012.
In late November 2011, EPA announced that it had indefinitely deferred the release of proposed greenhouse gas emission standards for new and existing petroleum refineries. Although EPA did not specify a new deadline for issuing the standards, it is expected that these standards will not be issued until after EPA completes proposed GHG performance standards for the power sector.