Tag Archives: mercury
EPA Issues First National Standards for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants
More than 20 years ago, a bipartisan Congress passed the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and mandated that EPA require control of toxic air pollutants including mercury. To meet this requirement, EPA worked extensively with stakeholders, including industry, to minimize cost and maximize flexibilities in these final standards. There were more than 900,000 public comments that helped inform the final standards being announced today.
EPA estimates that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year. Continue reading
EPA to Unveil Stricter Rules for Power Plants
More than 20 years ago, Congress ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate toxic air pollution. It’s done that for most industries, but not the biggest polluters — coal and oil-burning power plants. Those upwind power plants are in other states, and that’s why it’s so important for the EPA this time to adopt strong nationwide rules with tough deadlines, despite all the political pressure it’s under not to do so. Continue reading
The Dirtiest of the Dirty Coal Power Plants
Within the top 10 for CO2 emissions rate, top spot goes to Westar Energy’s 1,857-megawatt Jeffrey Energy Center, a plant burning Powder River Basin coal north of Topeka, Kansas, that powered out 1,086 kilograms of CO2 per megawatt-hour. Continue reading
Commonsense Environmental Rules Protect Kansas Families
Utilities serving more than 2 million Kansans have sued to block the EPA’s Cross-State rule. The power companies have threatened brownouts, rolling blackouts and targeted service interruptions to big industries. Kansans should know that in the EPA’s 40-year history, there have been no instances in which the Clean Air Act has contributed to electric grid reliability problems, and should any arise, the Clean Air Act gives us the tools to address them on a case-by-case basis. Continue reading
Big Coal: Children’s Health is Too Expensive
Power plants are responsible for 50 percent of mercury emissions, over 50 percent of acid gas emissions, and about 25 percent of toxic metal emissions in the United States. Yet ACCCE’s member companies want to continue jeopardizing the public’s health with this unfettered pollution. They have ample cash reserves to easily withstand any economic impact of pollution reductions. Continue reading
Soil Samples Reveal Urban Mercury Footprints
From Science Daily Indianapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, Buffalo, Richmond and Providence — cities scattered across the eastern half of the United States — have something in common, all have coal-fired power plants. A new study from the School of Science … Continue reading
Cleaner Air Rules Mean Westar Rate Increases
McClatchy Newspapers for the Wichita Eagle New federal rules to reduce toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants will cost Westar Energy ratepayers $1.5 billion — maybe more — a company official said Tuesday. The impact on monthly bills was not … Continue reading
Support Proposed EPA Rules to Keep Mercury Out of Our Air
Submit a public comment on EPA’s proposed air toxic rules before July 5th, either through Sierra Club’s website, Repower America’s web site, or directly to EPA. It will only take a few minutes, but make a big difference! And please share this page with others. Continue reading
EPA to Hold Public Hearings on Air Toxics Standards
From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold three public hearings in May on the proposed mercury and air toxics standards. The new power plant mercury and air toxics standards would require many power … Continue reading
Oklahoma Town Fears Cancer, Asthma May be Linked to Dump Site
EPA Proposed Declaring Coal Ash Hazardous Waste, Considering More Lenient Standards By Jim Sciutto for ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer (video story at link) Many residents of Bokoshe, Okla., have a common fear: a coal ash dump site. “It’s … Continue reading
