Also from yahoo board. This is a quote from today's Barron's...
"the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce support for petitions by New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland accusing states as far west as Illinois of polluting their air with smog from electric utilities and manufacturing plants. In December the EPA acted for the first time on a provision of the Clean Air Act, under which states can petition the agency with complaints of smog rolling in from other states. Last month's petitions were filed by Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The EPA sued big utilities in the East and Midwest, and it is currently eyeing some in the West as well. The statute gives each state authority to ask the EPA to set emission limits on sources of pollution in other states.
Fines and costs associated with the action could cost big power plants $100 million each, according to Paul Bailey, vice president for the environment at the Edison Electric Institute. Bailey says the EPA is applying a new interpretation of the act retroactively, and that his organization is asking Congress to hold hearings. The suits threaten maintenance projects at utilities that were designed to cut greenhouse gases by improving efficiency, an approach he says was endorsed by Gore a year and a half ago at a meeting with utility executives.
Mark Burtschi, director of air-quality issues at the National Association of Manufacturers, charges that the EPA is trying to do an end run to avoid unfavorable court decisions regarding its previous policies and scientific theories. "This will be played out in the courts," he predicts.
There are some possible winners if the EPA has its way, like Babcock & Wilcox, which manufactures pollution-control equipment for utilities. Babcock & Wilcox is a wholly owned subsidiary of McDermott International. (And then there is Catalytica, who nobody knows about yet!!!!! When people see this investment play, and they see that they can buy into this investment theme for free, CTAL is gonna soar!))
Dont tell me CTAL cant soar. Xonon will happen long before Plug Power!!!! |
