EPA Finalizes Cross-State Air Pollution Rule

Excerpt from:
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) Report
on EPA Website

On July 6, 2011, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that protects the health of millions of Americans by helping states reduce air pollution and attain clean air standards. This rule, known as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), requires 27 states to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states.

This rule replaces EPA's 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). A December 2008 court decision kept the requirements of CAIR in place temporarily but directed EPA to issue a new rule to implement Clean Air Act requirements concerning the transport of air pollution across state boundaries. This action responds to the court's concerns.

In a separate but related regulatory action, EPA also issued a supplemental notice of proposed rule making (SNPR) to require six states - Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin - to make summertime NOX reductions under the CSAPR ozone-season control program. Five of those states are already covered in the final rule for interstate fine particle pollution (PM2.5). With the inclusion of these states, a total of 26 states would be required to reduce ozone-season NOX emissions to assist in attaining the 1997 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Finalizing this supplemental proposal would bring the total number of covered states under the CSAPR to 28. EPA issued a proposal instead of a final action for these states in order to provide additional opportunity for public comment on their linkages to downwind nonattainment and maintenance areas. EPA is proposing to finalize this proposal by late fall 2011.

The CSAPR will help avoid tens of thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, achieving hundreds of billions of dollars in public health benefits. Pollution reductions will also lead to improvements in visibility in national and state parks, and increased protection for sensitive ecosystems including Adirondack lakes and Appalachian streams, coastal waters and estuaries, and forests.

The final rule yields $120 to $280 billion in annual health and environmental benefits in 2014, including the value of avoiding 13,000 to 34,000 premature deaths. This far outweighs the estimated annual costs of CSAPR. The $800 million in annual projected costs of this rule in 2014, along with the roughly $1.6 billion per year in capital investments already under way as a result of CAIR, are improving air quality for over 240 million Americans.

This rule will not disrupt a reliable flow of affordable electricity for American consumers and businesses. Health benefits will be achieved at a very low cost, and while the effect on prices for specific regions or states may vary, they are well within the range of normal electricity price fluctuations. Any such costs will be greatly outweighed by the benefits.

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule improves air quality throughout the eastern half of the United States, helping states achieve national clean air standards.

The rule requires significant reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions that cross state lines. These pollutants react in the atmosphere to form fine particles and ground-level ozone and are transported long distances, making it difficult for other states to achieve NAAQS. To see how the rule affects each state in the CSAPR region, view the table "States that are included in the CSAPR" on the Resources for States page.

Emission reductions will take effect quickly, starting January 1, 2012 for SO2 and annual NOX reductions, and May 1, 2012 for ozone season NOX reductions. By 2014, combined with other final state and EPA actions, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will reduce power plant SO2 emissions by 73 percent and NOX emissions by 54 percent from 2005 levels in the CSAPR region.

The emission reductions expected from EPA's recently-proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) are not included in the estimated emission reductions from the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule; once those standards are implemented, SO2 emissions from the power sector are likely to be reduced even further.

Link to complete article:
http://www.epa.gov/crossstaterule/