From greenhouse gases to green agenda: 5 energy issues to watch

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The Hill:

From greenhouse gases to green agenda: 5 energy issues to watch

By Andrew Restuccia and Ben Geman - 12/27/10 06:00 AM ET

It’s been a dynamic past 12 months on the energy front. The massive Gulf oil spill dominated much of the news cycle. And while Democratic efforts to pass comprehensive climate change legislation in the Senate failed, the Obama administration is moving ahead with plans to use its existing powers to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

With the end of the year drawing close – the 111th Congress is over and President Obama is in Hawaii with his family for the holidays – it seems only fitting to turn our attention to next year.

Without further ado, here are five things to watch out for next year:

Attempts to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate regulations:

Just hours before most people in Washington, D.C., left town for the holidays, EPA made two major announcements Thursday in its efforts to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The agency laid out a timetable for phasing in emissions standards for power plants and refineries, and it announced that it would issue greenhouse gas permits in Texas, where the governor had refused to align itself with federal rules. On top of that, beginning in January EPA will, on a case-by-case basis, begin phasing in rules that require large new industrial plants and sites that perform major upgrades to curb emissions.