II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 482 

To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, 

taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of 

a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2011 

Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. 

BLUNT, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BURR, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. COATS, Mr. 

COBURN, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. CORKER, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. 

DEMINT, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. ENZI, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. 

HATCH, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. JOHANNS, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Wisconsin, Mr. KYL, Mr. LEE, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. 

MCCONNELL, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PORTMAN, 

Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SHELBY, Mr. 

THUNE, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. VITTER, Mr. WICKER, Mr. MCCAIN, and Mr. 

MANCHIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator 

of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating 

to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Energy Tax Prevention 

3 Act of 2011’’. 

4 SEC. 2. NO REGULATION OF EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE 

5 GASES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Clean Air Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 330. NO REGULATION OF EMISSIONS OF GREEN10 HOUSE GASES. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘green12 house gas’ means any of the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) Water vapor. 

14 ‘‘(2) Carbon dioxide. 

15 ‘‘(3) Methane. 

16 ‘‘(4) Nitrous oxide. 

17 ‘‘(5) Sulfur hexafluoride. 

18 ‘‘(6) Hydrofluorocarbons. 

19 ‘‘(7) Perfluorocarbons. 

20 ‘‘(8) Any other substance subject to, or pro21 posed to be subject to, regulation, action, or consid22 eration under this Act to address climate change. 

23 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON AGENCY ACTION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) LIMITATION.— 

25 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

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1 lation concerning, take action relating to, or 

2 take into consideration the emission of a green3 house gas to address climate change. 

4 ‘‘(B) AIR POLLUTANT DEFINITION.—The 

5 definition of the term ‘air pollutant’ in section 

6 302(g) does not include a greenhouse gas. 

7 Nothwithstanding the previous sentence, such 

8 definition may include a greenhouse gas for 

9 purposes of addressing concerns other than cli10 mate change. 

11 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) does not 

12 prohibit the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (4)(B), 

14 implementation and enforcement of the rule en15 titled ‘Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas 

16 Emission Standards and Corporate Average 

17 Fuel Economy Standards’ (75 Fed. Reg. 25324 

18 (May 7, 2010) and without further revision) 

19 and finalization, implementation, enforcement, 

20 and revision of the proposed rule entitled 

21 ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and 

22 Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and 

23 Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles’ published at 

24 75 Fed. Reg. 74152 (November 30, 2010). 


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1 ‘‘(B) Implementation and enforcement of 

2 section 211(o). 

3 ‘‘(C) Statutorily authorized Federal re4 search, development, and demonstration pro5 grams addressing climate change. 

6 ‘‘(D) Implementation and enforcement of 

7 title VI to the extent such implementation or 

8 enforcement only involves one or more class I or 

9 class II substances (as such terms are defined 

10 in section 601). 

11 ‘‘(E) Implementation and enforcement of 

12 section 821 (42 U.S.C. 7651k note) of Public 

13 Law 101–549 (commonly referred to as the 

14 ‘Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990’). 

15 ‘‘(3) INAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS.—Noth16 ing listed in paragraph (2) shall cause a greenhouse 

17 gas to be subject to part C of title I (relating to pre18 vention of significant deterioration of air quality) or 

19 considered an air pollutant for purposes of title V 

20 (relating to air permits). 

21 ‘‘(4) CERTAIN PRIOR AGENCY ACTIONS.—The 

22 following rules, and actions (including any supple23 ment or revision to such rules and actions) are re24 pealed and shall have no legal effect: 


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1 ‘‘(A) ‘Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse 

2 Gases’, published at 74 Fed. Reg. 56260 (Octo3 ber 30, 2009). 

4 ‘‘(B) ‘Endangerment and Cause or Con5 tribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under 

6 section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act’ published 

7 at 74 Fed. Reg. 66496 (Dec. 15, 2009). 

8 ‘‘(C) ‘Reconsideration of the Interpretation 

9 of Regulations That Determine Pollutants Cov10 ered by Clean Air Act Permitting Programs’ 

11 published at 75 Fed. Reg. 17004 (April 2, 

12 2010) and the memorandum from Stephen L. 

13 Johnson, Environmental Protection Agency 

14 (EPA) Administrator, to EPA Regional Admin15 istrators, concerning ‘EPA’s Interpretation of 

16 Regulations that Determine Pollutants Covered 

17 by Federal Prevention of Significant Deteriora18 tion (PSD) Permit Program’ (Dec. 18, 2008). 

19 ‘‘(D) ‘Prevention of Significant Deteriora20 tion and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring 

21 Rule’, published at 75 Fed. Reg. 31514 (June 

22 3, 2010). 

23 ‘‘(E) ‘Action To Ensure Authority To 

24 Issue Permits Under the Prevention of Signifi25 cant Deterioration Program to Sources of 


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1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Finding of Sub2 stantial Inadequacy and SIP Call’, published at 

3 75 Fed. Reg. 77698 (December 13, 2010). 

4 ‘‘(F) ‘Action To Ensure Authority To 

5 Issue Permits Under the Prevention of Signifi6 cant Deterioration Program to Sources of 

7 Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Finding of Failure 

8 to Submit State Implementation Plan Revisions 

9 Required for Greenhouse Gases’, published at 

10 75 Fed. Reg. 81874 (December 29, 2010). 

11 ‘‘(G) ‘Action To Ensure Authority To 

12 Issue Permits Under the Prevention of Signifi13 cant Deterioration Program to Sources of 

14 Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Federal Implemen15 tation Plan’, published at 75 Fed. Reg. 82246 

16 (December 30, 2010). 

17 ‘‘(H) ‘Action To Ensure Authority To Im18 plement Title V Permitting Programs Under 

19 the Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule’, published 

20 at 75 Fed. Reg. 82254 (December 30, 2010). 

21 ‘‘(I) ‘Determinations Concerning Need for 

22 Error Correction, Partial Approval and Partial 

23 Disapproval, and Federal Implementation Plan 

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1 terioration Program’, published at 75 Fed. Reg. 

2 82430 (December 30, 2010). 

3 ‘‘(J) ‘Limitation of Approval of Prevention 

4 of Significant Deterioration Provisions Con5 cerning Greenhouse Gas Emitting-Sources in 

6 State Implementation Plans; Final Rule’, pub7 lished at 75 Fed. Reg. 82536 (December 30, 

8 2010). 

9 ‘‘(K) ‘Determinations Concerning Need for 

10 Error Correction, Partial Approval and Partial 

11 Disapproval, and Federal Implementation Plan 

12 Regarding Texas Prevention of Significant De13 terioration Program; Proposed Rule’, published 

14 at 75 Fed. Reg. 82365 (December 30, 2010). 

15 ‘‘(L) Except for action listed in paragraph 

16 (2), any other Federal action under this Act oc17 curring before the date of enactment of this 

18 section that applies a stationary source permit19 ting requirement or an emissions standard for 

20 a greenhouse gas to address climate change. 

21 ‘‘(5) STATE ACTION.— 

22 ‘‘(A) NO LIMITATION.—This section does 

23 not limit or otherwise affect the authority of a 

24 State to adopt, amend, enforce, or repeal State 


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1 laws and regulations pertaining to the emission 

2 of a greenhouse gas. 

3 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.— 

4 ‘‘(i) RULE.—Notwithstanding sub5 paragraph (A), any provision described in 

6 clause (ii)— 

7 ‘‘(I) is not federally enforceable; 

8 ‘‘(II) is not deemed to be a part 

9 of Federal law; and 

10 ‘‘(III) is deemed to be stricken 

11 from the plan described in clause 

12 (ii)(I) or the program or permit de13 scribed in clause (ii)(II), as applicable. 

14 ‘‘(ii) PROVISIONS DEFINED.—For pur15 poses of clause (i), the term ‘provision’ 

16 means any provision that— 

17 ‘‘(I) is contained in a State im18 plementation plan under section 110 

19 and authorizes or requires a limitation 

20 on, or imposes a permit requirement 

21 for, the emission of a greenhouse gas 

22 to address climate change; or 

23 ‘‘(II) is part of an operating per24 mit program under title V, or a per25 mit issued pursuant to title V, and 


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1 authorizes or requires a limitation on 

2 the emission of a greenhouse gas to 

3 address climate change. 

4 ‘‘(C) ACTION BY ADMINISTRATOR.—The 

5 Administrator may not approve or make feder6 ally enforceable any provision described in sub7 paragraph (B)(ii).’’. 

8 SEC. 3. PRESERVING ONE NATIONAL STANDARD FOR AUTO9 MOBILES. 

10 Section 209(b) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7543) 

11 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) With respect to standards for emissions of 

13 greenhouse gases (as defined in section 330) for 

14 model year 2017 or any subsequent model year for 

15 new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines— 

16 ‘‘(A) the Administrator may not waive ap17 plication of subsection (a); and 

18 ‘‘(B) no waiver granted prior to the date of 

19 enactment of this paragraph may be considered 

20 to waive the application of subsection (a).’’. 

Æ 


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