First National Standards for Air Toxics and Mercury Emissions from Power Plants Proposed
03.17.11 5:57 PMSince the Clean Air Act was amended in 1990, USEPA has made significant progress toward reducing emissions of toxic air pollutants including mercury from many high-emitting sources. But it was not until yesterday, March 16, 2011, that the first national standards for mercury, arsenic, and other toxic air pollution from coal-burning power plants were proposed. The updated standards represent a significant change in the industry by requiring all coal-burning power plants throughout the United States to employ similar technologies to control and reduce their air toxics emissions.
Power plants are high-emitting sources of air pollutants, including mercury; but currently, more than half of all coal-fired plants already use the widely available pollution control technologies that all them will be required to implement under the newly proposed standards. Once these national standards become final, the remaining roughly 44% of the country’s coal-burning power plants will need to catch up. The proposed rule allows facilities up to four years to meet the standards.
The newly proposed standards will require many power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to cut emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and acid gases, and prevent up to 91 percent of the mercury in coal from being released into the air.
The proposed standards are (perhaps obviously) aimed at addressing the well known negative health effects caused by air toxics such as mercury. For example, the reduced emissions resulting from this new rule could prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks caused by harmful emissions each year. The proposed standards would be particularly beneficial to the health of children and are aimed at preventing 120,000 cases of childhood asthma and contributing to roughly 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year. It is hoped that the proposed standards will result in 12,000 fewer emergency room visits and hospital admissions and 850,000 fewer days of work missed due to illness related to air toxics.
“The American Lung Association applauds the release of this sensible public health measure. When it becomes final, the cleanup rule that the EPA is putting forward today will save lives, protect the health of millions of Americans and finally bring about an action that is 20 years overdue. This must happen,” said Charles D. Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. (For more information on the American Lung Association’s campaign for cleaner air, including a fun way to get involved in middle Tennessee, check out their website.)
Not only will this industry-wide mandate provide considerable benefits to public health, but it is estimated that economic benefits will be significant as well. For example, installing and maintaining smokestack scrubbers and other control technologies will provide employment for thousands of individuals by creating 31,000 short-term construction jobs and 9,000 long-term utility jobs. The proposed standards are also intended to provide greater public health and economic benefits over the long term and outweigh the initial set-up costs, particularly given that implementation of these standards will be accomplished in phases and that emphasis is being placed on the use of already existing technologies. According to USEPA estimates, every dollar spent on reducing air toxics emissions from power plants in the initial stages will result in total health and economic benefits as high as $140 billion annually once the standards are fully implemented.
USEPA Administrator Lisa Jackson commented on the importance of the draft rule and proposed standards, saying that the “announcement is 20 years in the making, and is a significant milestone in the Clean Air Act’s already unprecedented record of ensuring our children are protected from the damaging effects of toxic air pollution. With the help of existing technologies, we will be able to take reasonable steps that will provide dramatic protections to our children and loved ones, preventing premature deaths, heart attacks, and asthma attacks.”
The public comment period on the proposed standards will last for 60 days after the notice appears in the Federal Register, allowing various stakeholders to provide input and feedback before the final standards are in place. As part of the public comment process, USEPA will also hold public hearings on this proposed rule. We will keep you posted on additional details of these events and further developments.
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