by Citation News Editor
6. July 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing regulations to curb power plant air pollution that drifts across the borders of 31 eastern states and the District of Columbia. Along with local and state air pollution controls, the new proposal, called the transport rule, is designed to help areas in the eastern United States meet existing national air quality health standards, the EPA said.
“We’re working to limit pollution at its source, rather than waiting for it to move across the country,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
Specifically, the transport rule would reduce power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to meet state-by-state emission reductions. By 2014, the rule and other state and EPA actions would reduce SO2 emissions by 71% over 2005 levels. NOx emissions would drop by 52%.
The EPA said it is using the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act to reduce interstate transport, which is the upwind state emissions that contribute to air quality problems in downwind states.
In 2014, the EPA says the annual cost of compliance with the proposed rule will be approximately $2.8 billion and the annual health benefits would equal an estimated $120 billion.
The proposal would replace and improve upon the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered EPA to revise in 2008. The court allowed CAIR to remain in place temporarily while the EPA works to finalize the replacement rule proposed today.
EPA will take public comment on the proposal for 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register. The agency also will hold public hearings.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/airtransport.
