S 131 · 109th Congress 2005–2007, ended

Clear Skies Act of 2005

Introduced Jan 24, 2005 Originated Senate Sponsor James M. Inhofe R-OK

Fact sheet

Latest action · Mar 9, 2005 Committee on Environment and Public Works. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedJan 24, 2005
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Clear Skies Act of 2005 - Amends the acid deposition control provisions of the Clean Air Act with respect to emissions limitations and allowances programs for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury by: (1) revising the allowance system and associated transfer, tracking, permit, compliance plan, and penalty requirements, including those for auctions; and (2) establishing new emissions limitations and trading programs (including implementation of a separate sulfur dioxide scheme for States in the Western Regional Air Partnership).

Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) promulgate performance standards (limiting emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury) for new boilers, integrated gasification combined cycle plants, and combustion turbines; and (2) conduct a comprehensive research and environmental assessment program to enhance understanding of health and environmental effects of particulate matter and mercury and to demonstrate the efficacy of emission reductions under this Act.

Excludes the following units from consideration as major emitting facilities or major stationary sources (or parts thereof) for purposes of compliance with provisions concerning prevention of significant deterioration of air quality and plan requirements for nonattainment areas: those that achieve a specified limit on particulate matter emissions or certain national emissions standards for hazardous pollutants or those with properly operated and maintained equipment to limit particulate matter emissions and that use good combustion practices to minimize carbon monoxide emissions.

Establishes procedures by which owners or operators may petition the Secretary of Energy for a determination that electricity reliability will likely be threatened by the need to install pollution control technology. Allows a compliance delay in the case of a successful petition.

Requires States to ensure in implementation plans that: (1) in an attainment or unclassifiable area, any emissions increase from the construction or modification of an affected unit will not result in exceeding a national ambient air quality standard; and (2) in a nonattainment area, the emissions increase will not interfere with a program to assure the achievement of such a standard. Provides for designation of transitional areas under implementation plans and states requirements for emissions inventories, the attainment of standards by the end of 2015, and penalties for not meeting the eight-hour ozone or fine particles standard.

Cosponsors 1

Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jan 24, 2005.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-OHGeorge V. VoinovichOriginalJan 24, 2005

Actions 4

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 9, 2005Committee on Environment and Public Works. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.
  2. Feb 2, 2005Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 109-867.
  3. Jan 24, 2005Introduced in Senate
  4. Jan 24, 2005Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S319-348)

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.