A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category-Deadline Extensions; Correction".

Plain-English Summary

This bill is a formal attempt by Congress to cancel a specific rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to water pollution standards for power plants. The EPA rule in question deals with "effluent limitations guidelines," which are legal limits on the types and amounts of pollutants that steam electric power plants — such as coal-fired power plants — can discharge into nearby waterways. Specifically, the EPA's rule had extended deadlines, giving power plants more time to comply with these pollution control requirements. This Congressional resolution seeks to strike down that rule entirely.

Congress has the authority, under a law called the Congressional Review Act, to vote to nullify regulations issued by federal agencies. That is what this joint resolution is attempting to do. If passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President (or if Congress overrides a veto), the EPA's deadline extension rule would be invalidated, meaning it would no longer be in effect.

The people most directly affected by this bill would be the operators of steam electric power plants — particularly coal-fired facilities — as well as communities living near waterways where those plants discharge water. If the rule is nullified, power plants could lose the extra time they were granted to meet pollution control standards, potentially requiring faster action to reduce harmful discharges into rivers, lakes, and streams. Environmental groups and plant operators are likely watching this bill closely, though it is currently in early stages, having only been introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.