E.P.A. Issues Last Pending Federal Greenhouse Gas Permit in Texas; $200 million facility will bring 250 construction jobs to the McAllen area

DALLAS - (February 19, 2014) Today, the E.P.A. (EPA) is issuing the final federal greenhouse gas (GHG) permit in the state of Texas. E.P.A. has completed processing all submitted federal GHG permit applications, with the remaining applications transferred to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

"We have worked with Texas and Texas businesses to issue over 60 GHG permits, creating well over 20,000 jobs and bringing over $24 billion in plans to the Texas economy," said Regional Administrator Ron Curry. "I am proud of our team's innovation and tireless effort to achieve this important milestone."

On Oct. 31, 2014, E.P.A. announced both its approval of the state's air project and the withdrawal of the federal air plan, making TCEQ the primary GHG permitting authority in Texas. E.P.A. and TCEQ worked closely with pending permit applicants during the transition period and ensured no unnecessary plan delays result from this action.

The final GHG construction permit was issued to South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC), allowing the company to build a new power plant near Edinburg, Texas. The facility will be an electric generating station used during periods of increased demand for electricity. When completed, the facility's twelve new natural gas-fired engines will provide a fast ramp-up for electricity generation at a capacity of approximately 225 MW. The plan will bring a $200 million investment and is anticipated to add approximately 250 temporary and 29 permanent jobs to the McAllen area.

In June 2010, E.P.A. finalized national GHG regulations, which specify that beginning on Jan. 2, 2011, plans that substantially increase GHG emissions require an air permit. Since Jan. 2, 2011, plans in Texas that increase GHG emissions required an air permit from the EPA. In Texas alone, E.P.A. has received 93 GHG permit applications from businesses since 2011.

For all information on GHG permits issued by E.P.A. in Texas please visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r6/Apermit.nsf/AirP

Connect with E.P.A. Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
Activities in E.P.A. Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm

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