Toxic releases rose 16 percent in 2010, EPA says
www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/toxic-releases-rose-16-percent-in-2010-epa-says/2012/01/05/gIQAhbTpdP_story.html
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: January 5, 2012
The amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment nationwide in 2010 increased 16 percent over the year before, reversing a downward trend in overall toxic releases since 2006, according to a report released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The spike was driven largely by metal mining, but other sectors — including the chemical industry — also contributed to the rise in emissions, according to the new analysis from the annual federal Toxics Release Inventory.
Air releases of dioxin, which is linked to cancer as well as neurological and reproductive problems, rose 10 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to the report. Other releases, such as landfill disposal, increased 18 percent.
Dioxins are formed as a byproduct of some processes with intense heat, such as smelting and recycling metals. The 2010 increase stemmed largely from the hazardous-waste-management and mining industries, according to the EPA.
In a statement Thursday, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson did not address the specific sources of emissions but said that the public reporting “has played a significant role in protecting people’s health and the environment by providing communities with valuable information on toxic chemical releases.”
According to EPA officials, a handful of metal mining operations helped drive the overall increase in toxic emissions.
“In this sector, even a small change in the chemical composition of the ore being mined — which EPA understands is one of the reasons for the increase in total reported releases — may lead to big changes in the amount of toxic chemicals reported nationally,” the statement read.
Some environmentalists said the new data show why the EPA should swiftly move to release a long-anticipated environmental assessment of dioxin, the first installment of which the agency plans to issue this month. EPA officials say they will issue a report addressing dioxin’s non-cancerous effects first and then later release a cancer-related report.
Some industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council, have urged the EPA to hold off issuing the report in what the trade association’s president and chief executive, Cal Dooley, has called “a piecemeal fashion.” Chemical manufacturers accounted for nearly 64 percent of total disposal of dioxins in 2010, though they reported a 7 percent decrease from 2009 to 2010.
In a letter dated Dec. 20, Dooley wrote Jackson that “it is worth noting that the Agency’s efforts to manage dioxin emissions have been successful. Indeed, as a result of both regulatory and voluntary initiatives, U.S. dioxin emissions from man-made sources have dramatically declined and environmental levels of dioxin have plummeted.”
ACC spokeswoman Anne Kolton noted in an e-mail: “U.S. emissions of dioxin have declined more than 92 percent since 1987 [through 2009] to the point where backyard trash burning is the primary source of dioxin emissions.”
Mike Schade — a campaign coordinator for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice — said the fact that emissions are now on the upswing makes it important for the EPA to release a report it started working on in 1985.
“Communities across America have been exposed to dioxin for decades as EPA has continued to work on this study. Every American has measurable levels of dioxin in their body,” Schade said in an interview, noting that most humans are exposed by eating meat or dairy products from animals that have accumulated the chemical in their bodies. “It’s critically important for EPA to finalize this study so the EPA can protect Americans from this toxic chemical.”
New fuel for coal vs. gas debate
www.timesleader.com/news/New_fuel_for_coal_vs__gas_debate_12-27-2011.html
December 27, 2011
By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Wilkes-based group finds natural gas has smaller greenhouse footprint.
A research group based at Wilkes University recently revised its position on whether burning coal or natural gas has a worse impact on the environment and global warming.
Based on several new studies, the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeastern Pennsylvania concluded that, contrary to findings in an April study by researchers at Cornell University, natural gas produced from Marcellus Shale wells has a lower greenhouse footprint than coal.
According to the institute essay, the use of natural gas and the other fossil fuels for energy releases greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. Those gases are thought to increase global temperatures.
Studies conducted between 2000 and 2007 suggested that natural gas produces fewer greenhouse gases than coal, especially when used to generate electricity.
But a study by a team of researchers at Cornell University published in April found that extracting natural gas from shale released large quantities of methane – a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
The researchers concluded that when the full life-cycle of energy extraction, delivery and use is considered, shale gas produces up to twice the greenhouse gas emissions compared to burning coal or oil – especially when viewed over a 20-year time span.
However, seven analyses released in the summer and fall of 2011 came to a different conclusion than the Cornell study. All seven found that natural gas produces 20 percent to 60 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions, especially when used for electrical generation and when viewed over a 100-year time span.
The discrepancies between the Cornell and subsequent studies appear to result primarily from the different time frames used (20-year time frame versus 100-year).
Kenneth Klemow
Wilkes professor Kenneth Klemow, one of the authors of the institute essay, was hesitant to rank as more credible either the Cornell study or a study by Carnegie-Mellon University researchers that the energy industry said disputed the Cornell study when the Carnegie-Mellon study came out in August.
Klemow had said the Carnegie-Mellon study tipped the balance more in favor of natural gas, but only “by a little bit.” While the gas industry had claimed the CMU study slam-dunked the Cornell study, Klemow said he wasn’t so sure about that.
He was sure that more research was needed and researchers needed to take more field measurements rather than rely on data from previous studies.
Klemow said last week that because of several new articles and reports that have come out in the past three months, researchers at the institute found it necessary to issue an update on the original position.
“The main message is that seven independent studies now agree that shale gas has a lower greenhouse footprint than coal. That conclusion largely contradicts the findings by a team of researchers at Cornell who published a paper last April that argued shale gas has a higher footprint than coal due to inadvertent releases of methane at gas wells,” Klemow said.
In addition to incorporating the findings of the recent studies, the institute included some graphics to illustrate key trends that have been observed. And in addition to summarizing the research to date, they say they provide “our own synthesis – especially relating to future research needs.”
“Scientists are becoming increasingly convinced that burning fossil fuels releases gases that affect our climate,” Klemow said. “Therefore, studies comparing emissions of natural gas against coal are vital if we want to have informed discussions and make wise choices.”
“While recent analyses generally show natural gas has a lower footprint than coal, the science is far from settled. More studies of methane leakage near Marcellus wells and pipelines are critically needed to give us a more accurate picture,” he said.
Marcellus natural-gas presentation focuses on municipal experiences
live.psu.edu/story/56458#nw69
Friday, November 18, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A presentation detailing how municipal governments are dealing with the
The program will be offered at 12 locations across the state via video teleconference.
Marcellus Shale natural-gas boom will be offered by Penn State Extension from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 6.
“Marcellus Shale Development: The Pa. Municipal Experience to Date and Possibilities for the Future” will provide a venue for officials to share their breadth of experiences and knowledge. The registration fee for this program is $25. Preregistration is required to participate. The registration deadline is Dec. 3. To register or for more information, visit the Web at http://psu.ag/s1Nnjb or call toll-free 877-489-1398.
“By hearing about the lessons learned and actions taken by local officials, participants will be able to draw upon the experience of others when facing issues and considering decisions,” said program coordinator Neal Fogle, extension educator based in Snyder County specializing in economic and community development.
“Utilizing video teleconferencing and panels of local officials representing northcentral and southwest Pennsylvania, this program will provide insight into how select municipalities have reacted to and are planning for items such as land use, roads, budget and finance, communication needs, community cohesion and the stresses of public office.”
Program panelists include Raymond J. Stolinas Jr., Bradford County planning director; Ron Reagan, chairman, Athens Township supervisors (Bradford County); Joseph Reighard, president, Lycoming County Supervisors Association; Jim Morrison, chief administrator, municipality of Murrysville (Westmoreland County); Thomas Stull Jr., 1st vice president, Westmoreland County Supervisors Association; and Rich Ward, manager/zoning officer, Robinson Township (Washington County).
Jointly funded by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania counties, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program — which has been submitted to the American Planning Association for 2.5 AICP CM credits by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association — will feature a question-and-answer session following the facilitated discussion.
“Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania has resulted in local municipalities having to make decisions and take actions on issues such as infrastructure, municipal services, regulatory controls and community planning,” Fogle said. “Municipalities throughout Pennsylvania have experienced various levels and stages of development as well as the community issues that result.
“These experiences have provided municipal officials with a unique perspective on how to more effectively address municipal and community needs and concerns related to natural-gas issues.”
The program will be offered at the following locations via video teleconference (contact the locations for directions):
–Beaver County: Penn State Extension, 2020 Beaver Ave., Suite 200, Monaca, 724-774-3003, http://beaver.extension.psu.edu/;
–Bradford County: Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission, 312 Main Street, Towanda 888-868-8800, http:www.northerntier.org;
–Centre County: 217 Forest Resources Building, Penn State University Park campus, 814-223-9028, http://www.campusmaps.psu.edu/print/;
–Clearfield County: Penn State DuBois, College Place, DEF 202 & 204, DuBois, 800-346-7627, http://www.ds.psu.edu/Information/directions.htm?cn716;
–Lackawanna County: Penn State Worthington Scranton, Dawson 10, 120 Ridge View Drive, Dunmore, 570-963-2500, http://www.sn.psu.edu/Information/directions.htm?cn7;
–Lycoming County: Pennsylvania College of Technology, 1127 W. 4th St., Room 133, Williamsport, 570-327-4775, http://www.pct.edu/campuses/main_routes.htm;
–Potter County: Penn State Extension, 24 Maple View Lane, Suite 1, Coudersport, 814-274-8540, http://potter.extension.psu.edu;
–Somerset County: Penn State Extension, 6024 Glades Pike, Suite 101 , Somerset, 814-445-8911, Ext. 7, http://somerset.extension.psu.edu/;
–Susquehanna County: Penn State Extension, County Office Building, 81 Public Avenue, Montrose, 570-278-1158, http://susquehanna.extension.psu.edu;
–Tioga County: Penn State Extension, Courthouse Annex, 118 Main Street, Wellsboro, 570-724-9120, http://tioga.extension.psu.edu/;
–Washington County: Penn State Extension, 100 West Beau Street, Suite 601, Washington, 724-228-6881, http://washington.extension.psu.edu/;
–Westmoreland County: Penn State Extension, Donohoe Center, 214 Donohoe Road, Suite E, Greensburg, 724-837-1402, http://westmoreland.extension.psu.edu/.
For more information on Penn State Extension Marcellus Shale programs, visit Extension’s natural gas website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.
Citizens group seeks tougher gas rules
thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/citizens-group-seeks-tougher-gas-rules-1.1222909#axzz1bnmom3Ug
BY ROBERT SWIFT (HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF)
Published: October 25, 2011
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania should enact stricter rules to protect air quality and surface water and groundwater from the impact of natural gas drilling, a report issued by the Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission said on Monday.
The commission was formed as a counterpart to Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Commission and held hearings this fall around the state, including Wysox and Williamsport.
The governor’s commission made no recommendations to control or monitor air pollution from well flaring, equipment leaks and compressor engines, said Thomas Au, a Pennsylvania Sierra Club official.
The citizens’ commission recommends several steps, including more state monitoring of air pollutants in the vicinity of wells and compressor engines and stronger enforcement at drilling sites of state laws that limit truck idling. Other recommendations call for a state drilling tax, restoring the authority of county conservation districts to review stormwater permits and establishing an office of state consumer environmental advocate.
Pennsylvania should ban drilling in flood plains, said John Trallo, a commission member from Sonestown, Sullivan County. Mr. Trallo is chairman of Residents United for Pennsylvania/Sullivan County chapter.
Forest clear-cutting to open space for drilling pads will make future floods even worse than those that hit the region in September, he said.
“We repeatedly heard that natural gas development has moved too quickly,” said Roberta Winters, an official with the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania about testimony at the hearings. “Pennsylvania was and is still not prepared to limit the risks and address its impact.”
The group’s report appears with time running out for a Senate Republican leader’s call for action on an impact fee bill on natural gas drilling during October. President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-25, Jefferson County, is sponsor of an impact fee bill that won tentative approval from a Senate committee last spring but has yet to reach the Senate floor.
ONLINE: The report is accessible at http://citizens marcellusshale.com.
Contact the writer: rswift@timeshamrock.com
Pa. issues air pollution rules for gas drilling
www.timesleader.com/news/Pa-issues-air-pollution-rules-for-gas-drilling.html
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state environmental regulators will follow new guidelines endorsed by a natural gas industry group for deciding how to group together facilities such as wells, dehydrators and compressors when enforcing air pollution standards.
The Department of Environmental Protection issued the new guidelines Wednesday and opened them up for public comment until Nov. 21.
The Citizens Voice of Wilkes-Barre reports (http://bit.ly/q4a4KE) that the industry group, Marcellus Shale Coalition, last year urged the state not to group air pollution sources that are not contiguous or adjacent, even if they’re connected by pipelines.
Instead, it recommended a quarter-mile rule that several other states follow and which the Pennsylvania DEP wants to follow.
The new guidelines take effect immediately, but are considered interim for now.
EPA hearing focuses on reducing gas drilling air pollution
http://www.timesleader.com/news/EPA_hearing_focuses_on_reducing_gas_drilling_air_pollution_09-28-2011.html
September 28, 2011
By KEVIN BEGOS
PITTSBURGH — A public hearing Tuesday on proposed rules to reduce air pollution from oil and gas drilling operations found at least some points of agreement between industry and environmental groups.
Howard Feldman, the director of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, was the first speaker at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hearing in Pittsburgh.
Feldman asked the EPA to extend the public comment period and give companies a one-year extension to comply with the new rules. The current EPA timeline would see the rules take effect in the spring of 2012.
But Feldman told The Associated Press that industry isn’t opposed to the basic concept of the EPA proposal, which would apply new pollution control standards to about 25,000 gas wells that are hydraulically fractured, or fracked, each year. The fracking process blasts large amounts of water deep into the earth to break up dense shale and allow natural gas to escape.
“We think EPA has done a good job on the rule. We think it’s pretty reasonable,” Feldman said. “We just need a few more accommodations to make this work smoothly.”
The technology to implement the proposed rule allows drillers to capture and sell gas that would normally go to waste. EPA estimates that the rule would actually save the industry about $30 million each year.
“A lot of companies are doing that already,” Feldman said of the capture process.
But some said the issues in Pennsylvania require more time to review.
Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said her group thinks there’s “a lot more work to do” on the proposed rules, which could place a heavy burden on industry.
But citizens and environmental groups said there should be no delays in implementing the rules, because there are already problems.
New air rules to curb pollution from gas wells
http://standardspeaker.com/news/new-air-rules-to-curb-pollution-from-gas-wells-1.1181579#axzz1TUpEddKL
By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: July 29, 2011
In an effort to curb smog and airborne chemicals linked to oil and gas production, federal environmental regulators moved Thursday to place new controls on air pollution caused by the drilling, processing and transmission of the fuels.
The proposed rules released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would for the first time require “green completions” at nearly all hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells in the country – a way of capturing and sending to market gas that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.
The new requirements would also stem pollution from some compressors, valves, dehydrators and processing plants, as well as the storage tanks that hold the hydrocarbon liquids associated with “wet” forms of gas.
The rules aim to curb smog-causing chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as air toxics, such as benzene, that are known or suspected to cause cancer. Although the rules do not directly target the leakage of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, the proposals to limit the VOCs and air toxics will also reduce the amount of methane escaping into the atmosphere by about 26 percent, the agency said.
The EPA characterized the rules as “extremely cost-effective” and estimated the requirements will save the industry nearly $30 million a year above the $754 million annually it will cost to meet the requirements. The agency said the rules will mandate practices already used voluntarily by some companies and required by some states.
“Reducing these emissions will help cut toxic pollution that can increase cancer risks and smog that can cause asthma attacks and premature death – all while giving these operators additional product to bring to market,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.
Environmental groups who sued the EPA to update its standards by a court-ordered deadline Thursday welcomed the proposals.
Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director of New Mexico-based WildEarth Guardians, said the “woefully outdated” current rules allowed the buildup of ground-level ozone in rural, heavily drilled parts of Wyoming so the smog there rivaled that in Los Angeles.
The proposed rules offer benefits to the industry and the environment, he said.
“The solution to clearing the air more often than not means keeping more product in the pipeline,” he said.
Rules mandating green completions may prove difficult at first for operators in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, where pipeline infrastructure is still catching up to the pace at which new gas wells are drilled.
“Certainly it’s easier to capture methane when a gas field is a little more mature because the pipeline infrastructure is in place that allows you to capture it,” said former Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection secretary John Hanger.
He said the proposed rules “can help maximize the environmental benefits that using more natural gas in our society offers.”
In its response to the proposed rules, the Pennsylvania-based industry group the Marcellus Shale Coalition pointed to three short-term state air monitoring studies near Marcellus wells that did not find any compounds in concentrations “that would likely trigger air-related health issues.”
“This sweeping set of potentially unworkable regulations represents an overreach that could, ironically, undercut the production of American natural gas, an abundant energy resource that is critical to strengthening our nation’s air quality,” coalition president Kathryn Klaber said.
The EPA will have a public comment period on the proposed rules and three public hearings in the Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colo. and Pittsburgh areas, for which details have not yet been announced.
The agency is under a court order to take final action on the rules by Feb. 28, 2012.
llegere@timesshamrock.com
EPA Reduces Smokestack Pollution
EPA Reduces Smokestack Pollution, Protecting Americans’ Health from Soot and Smog
Clean Air Act protections will cut dangerous pollution in communities that are home to 240 million Americans
WASHINGTON – Building on the Obama Administration’s strong record of protecting the public’s health through common-sense clean air standards – including proposed standards to reduce emissions of mercury and other air toxics, as well as air quality standards for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized additional Clean Air Act protections that will slash hundreds of thousands of tons of smokestack emissions that travel long distances through the air leading to soot and smog, threatening the health of hundreds of millions of Americans living downwind. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will protect communities that are home to 240 million Americans from smog and soot pollution, preventing up to 34,000 premature deaths, 15,000 nonfatal heart attacks, 19,000 cases of acute bronchitis, 400,000 cases of aggravated asthma, and 1.8 million sick days a year beginning in 2014 – achieving up to $280 billion in annual health benefits. Twenty seven states in the eastern half of the country will work with power plants to cut air pollution under the rule, which leverages widely available, proven and cost-effective control technologies. Ensuring flexibility, EPA will work with states to help develop the most appropriate path forward to deliver significant reductions in harmful emissions while minimizing costs for utilities and consumers.
“No community should have to bear the burden of another community’s polluters, or be powerless to prevent air pollution that leads to asthma, heart attacks and other harmful illnesses. These Clean Air Act safeguards will help protect the health of millions of Americans and save lives by preventing smog and soot pollution from traveling hundreds of miles and contaminating the air they breathe,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “By maximizing flexibility and leveraging existing technology, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule will help ensure that American families aren’t suffering the consequences of pollution generated far from home, while allowing states to decide how best to decrease dangerous air pollution in the most cost effective way.”
Carried long distances across the country by wind and weather, power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) continually travel across state lines. As the pollution is transported, it reacts in the atmosphere and contributes to harmful levels of smog (ground-level ozone) and soot (fine particles), which are scientifically linked to widespread illnesses and premature deaths and prevent many cities and communities from enjoying healthy air quality.
The rule will improve air quality by cutting SO2 and NOx emissions that contribute to pollution problems in other states. By 2014, the rule and other state and EPA actions will reduce SO2 emissions by 73 percent from 2005 levels. NOx emissions will drop by 54 percent. Following the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” mandate to limit interstate air pollution, the rule will help states that are struggling to protect air quality from pollution emitted outside their borders, and it uses an approach that can be applied in the future to help areas continue to meet and maintain air quality health standards.
The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule replaces and strengthens the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered EPA to revise in 2008. The court allowed CAIR to remain in place temporarily while EPA worked to finalize today’s replacement rule.
The rule will protect over 240 million Americans living in the eastern half of the country, resulting in up to $280 billion in annual benefits. The benefits far outweigh the $800 million projected to be spent annually on this rule in 2014 and the roughly $1.6 billion per year in capital investments already underway as a result of CAIR. EPA expects pollution reductions to occur quickly without large expenditures by the power industry. Many power plants covered by the rule have already made substantial investments in clean air technologies to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions. The rule will level the playing field for power plants that are already controlling these emissions by requiring more facilities to do the same. In the states where investments in control technology are required, health and environmental benefits will be substantial.
The rule will also help improve visibility in state and national parks while better protecting sensitive ecosystems, including Appalachian streams, Adirondack lakes, estuaries, coastal waters, and forests. In a supplemental rulemaking based on further review and analysis of air quality information, EPA is also proposing to require sources in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin to reduce NOX emissions during the summertime ozone season. The proposal would increase the total number of states covered by the rule from 27 to 28. Five of these six states are covered for other pollutants under the rule. The proposal is open for public review and comment for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/crossstaterule/
CONTACT:
Enesta Jones
jones.enesta@epa.gov
202-564-7873
202-564-4355
Could Smog Shroud the Marcellus Shale’s Natural Gas Boom?
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/27/27greenwire-could-smog-shroud-the-marcellus-shales-natural-3397.html
By GABRIEL NELSON of Greenwire
Published: May 27, 2011
Since returning to private life, John Hanger, the former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, has kept busy trying to douse fears that his state’s natural gas boom is contaminating drinking water.
Hanger’s two-year tenure saw the Marcellus Shale, an underground rock formation that runs beneath much of the Northeast, change from a geological oddity into the center of a American drilling renaissance. Under his watch, Pennsylvania scrambled to respond to claims that water supplies are being tainted by the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which a blend of water, sand and chemicals is injected underground to break the shale and release the gas inside.
Hanger, a Democrat who previously led the Pennsylvania-based environmental group PennFuture, left office convinced that the high-profile fracas over fracking is misguided.
Air pollution is more of an Achilles’ heel for drilling in the Northeast, he said last week, pointing to spikes in emissions that have followed natural gas development in other parts of the country.
Thousands of natural gas wells are expected to be drilled in Pennsylvania over the next few years, requiring a fleet of construction equipment, diesel engines and compressor stations. Together, they could be a large new source of smog-forming emissions along the Northeast corridor, much of which still struggles with old air quality standards at a time when U.S. EPA is preparing to make the rules stricter.
Read more
EPA to Hold Public Hearing on Mercury Pollution from Power Plants
Media Contact: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.gov
May 3, 2011
EPA to Hold Public Hearing on National Standard for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing standards to limit mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from power plants.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing in Philadelphia on May 24, 2011 on the proposed mercury and air toxics standards. The new power plant mercury and air toxics standards would require many power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to cut harmful emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases, while preventing as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year.
- WHAT: Public hearing on proposed mercury and air toxics standards
- WHEN: Tuesday, May 24, 2011. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. EDT
- WHERE: Philadelphia: Westin Philadelphia, 99 S. 17th Street at Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA. 19103
- REGISTRATION: The public may register to speak at a specific time at a hearing by contacting Pamela Garrett at 919-541-7966 or garrett.pamela@epa.gov or registering in person on the day of a hearing. EPA also will accept written comments on the proposed standards until July 5, 2011. EPA will finalize the rule by November 2011.
- Preregistration deadline 5 p.m., May 19
- ADDITION INFORMATION: Reducing Toxic Air Emissions From Power Plants: For more information on the hearings and instructions for submitting written comments see: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/
- Proposed Rule (PDF) (946pp, 1.9 MB) [ http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/pdfs/proposal.pdf ] Note: Pages 214 and 518 of the signed proposed rule contain references to proprietary technology. EPA included these references merely to illustrate that the technologies under discussion are commercially available. EPA and the U.S. government do not endorse any of the listed products.
- Fact Sheet Summarizing the Proposed Rule (PDF) (5pp, 36k) [ http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/pdfs/proposalfactsheet.pdf ]
- Overview Presentation (PDF) (18pp, 797k) [ http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/pdfs/presentation.pdf ]
- Overview Fact Sheet (PDF) (5pp, 48k) [ http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/pdfs/overviewfactsheet.pdf ]
- Regulatory Impact Analysis [ http://www.epa.gov/ttn/ecas/ria.html ]
- Integrated Planning Model (IPM) Analysis [ http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/progsregs/epa-ipm/toxics.html ]