Long awaited rule enacted
Posted by Joshua Claybourn on 11 March 2005 | one response
The Washington Post carries the story of the EPA’s new CAIR standards going into effect today.
The rule, to be phased in over the next decade, sets limits for the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power-plant smokestacks in 28 states and the District. To meet the goals, many plants will have to install new scrubbers and other emissions-capturing equipment.
Plants that cannot meet their deadlines will be allowed to buy credits from those that are ahead of schedule — an approach that the industry and environmentalists alike had sought as a way to achieve cost-effective regional reductions.
Here are some headlines from around my area: “Clean-air rule means higher electric rates” from the Louisville Courier Journal; “Pollution rules to cost Illinois firms: Critics say limits aren’t strict enough” from the Chicago Tribune; and “EPA rule tightens standards on smog: Indiana’s coal-fired power plants must reduce emissions,” from the Indianapolis Star.
One Response to “Long awaited rule enacted”
CAIR comes out of the requirements of the Clean Air Act revisions from 1990. The Bush administration spent the last two years threatening to invoke CAIR as a stick to get Congress to go along with the so-called “Clear Skies” plan, but as the President last week was here in Columbus touting his energy policy, the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee failed to pass “Clear Skies”, killing the plan. Since “Clear Skies” was dead, EPA had to roll out CAIR.