Alabama Power Company v. Anne M. Gorsuch, as Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Sierra Club, Intervenors.

Before us are applications for costs and attorneys’ fees emanating from the extensive litigation forerunning this court’s deci*3sion in Alabama Power Co. v. Costle.1 These we are to measure by the Clean Air Act’s generous provision on allowance thereof.2 Doing so, we conclude that, with sizeable exceptions hereinafter noted, these requests should be granted.

I. STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION

Section 307(f) of the Act empowers us to award costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees “whenever ... appropriate.”3 The general tenor of that broad authorization need not detain us long. A year ago, in Metropolitan…