| LEGISLATION to tighten limits on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants nationwide has been introduced in the US for the first time.Starting in 2012 it require at least a 90% reduction in mercury emissions from coal and oil-fired generation.The bill calls for the US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator to set national standards by 2012, if the agency fails to set timely standards, by 2015 all these existing generating units would be required to meet mercury emission limits through maximum achievable control technology standards determined on a case-by-case basis, under the legislation.The bipartisan bill takes a market-based approach to further reducing power plant pollution of SO2 and NOx emissions, which are already subject to regional cap-and-trade programs.Existing rules on SO2 and NOx under the Clean Air Act would remain in place under the bill through 2011.Beginning in 2012, national annual limits on SO2 emissions from power plants would be at 3.5m tons then tighten to 2m tons in 2015 then 1.5m tons in 2018. Starting in 2021 and each calendar year after that, SO2 emissions would be limited to 1.5m tons or less if the EPA determines pollution levels must be reduced further to protect the public's health or meet national ambient air quality standards. For NOx reductions, the bill creates two zones ~ one for the eastern half of the US and one for the western half ~ and calls for EPA to promulgate rules for two NOx cap-and-trade programs by 2011.Beginning in 2012, affected units in the eastern half of the US would emit no more than 1.39m tons of NOx per year.By 2020 these units would face a cap of 1.3m tons or less each year as determined by EPA to protect public health and meet national air standards.Western states would face a NOx limit of 510,000 tons a year beginning in 2012.The cap would tighten in 2020 to 320,000 tons or less each year thereafter as determined by EPA. |
