SENSE Act

To establish the bases by which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall issue, implement, and enforce certain emission limitations and allocations for existing electric utility steam generating units that convert coal refuse into energy. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment Act SENSE Act 2. Standards for coal refuse power plants (a) Definitions In this Act: (1) Administrator The term Administrator (2) Boiler operating day The term boiler operating day (3) Coal refuse The term coal refuse (4) Coal refuse electric utility steam generating unit The term coal refuse electric utility steam generating unit (A) is in operation as of the date of enactment of this Act; (B) uses fluidized bed combustion technology to convert coal refuse into energy; and (C) uses coal refuse as at least 75 percent of the annual fuel consumed, by heat input, of the unit. (5) Coal refuse-fired facility The term coal refuse-fired facility (A) located on one or more contiguous or adjacent properties; (B) specified within the same Major Group (2-digit code), as described in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual (1987); and (C) under common control of the same person (or persons under common control). (6) Electric utility steam generating unit The term electric utility steam generating unit (b) Emission limitations To address hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide as hazardous air pollutants (1) Applicability For purposes of regulating emissions of hydrogen chloride or sulfur dioxide from a coal refuse electric utility steam generating unit under section 112 of the Clean Air Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7412 (A) shall authorize the operator of such unit to elect that such unit comply with either— (i) an emissions standard for emissions of hydrogen chloride that meets the requirements of paragraph (2); or (ii) an emission standard for emissions of sulfur dioxide that meets the requirements of paragraph (2); and (B) may not require that such unit comply with both an emission standard for emissions of hydrogen chloride and an emission standard for emissions of sulfur dioxide. (2) Rules for emission limitations (A) In general The Administrator shall require an operator of a coal refuse electric utility steam generating unit to comply, at the election of the operator, with no more than one of the following emission standards: (i) An emission standard for emissions of hydrogen chloride from such unit that is no more stringent than an emission rate of 0.002 pounds per million British thermal units of heat input. (ii) An emission standard for emissions of hydrogen chloride from such unit that is no more stringent than an emission rate of 0.02 pounds per megawatt-hour. (iii) An emission standard for emissions of sulfur dioxide from such unit that is no more stringent than an emission rate of 0.20 pounds per million British thermal units of heat input. (iv) An emission standard for emissions of sulfur dioxide from such unit that is no more stringent than an emission rate of 1.5 pounds per megawatt-hour. (v) An emission standard for emissions of sulfur dioxide from such unit that is no more stringent than capture and control of 93 percent of sulfur dioxide across the generating unit or group of generating units, as determined by comparing— (I) the expected sulfur dioxide generated from combustion of fuels emissions calculated based upon as-fired fuel samples, to (II) the actual sulfur dioxide emissions as measured by a sulfur dioxide continuous emission monitoring system. (B) Measurement An emission standard described in subparagraph (A) shall be measured as a 30 boiler operating day rolling average per coal refuse electric utility steam generating unit or group of coal refuse electric utility steam generating units located at a single coal refuse-fired facility. Amend the title so as to read: A bill to establish the bases by which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall issue, implement, and enforce certain emission limitations for existing electric utility steam generating units that convert coal refuse into energy. January 12, 2018 Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment Act or the SENSE Act (Sec. 2) This bill eases emission limits for hazardous air pollutants from electric utility steam generating units (electric power plants) that convert coal refuse into energy. The Environmental Protection Agency must allow utilities to select a standard for either hydrogen chloride or sulfur dioxide with which to comply from a list of specified standards.