The electric power industry and federal regulations affecting air emissions

Summary form only given. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued regulations directly restricting electric power emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury and to address visual air quality. These regulations - the Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Clean Air Mercury Rule, and the Clean Air Visibility Rule - will together force national power sector emissions to be reduced by two-thirds. Such reductions are in addition to the 40 percent reductions in these emissions already achieved by the industry at the national level. This panel presentation discusses these programs plus EPA´s New Source Review regulations. Also to be addressed are the status of state implementation and legal review of these regulations. The author discusses efforts by some states to implementing stricter versions of the rules or to limit flexibility provisions such as emission trading. The stringency and timing of emission reductions influence installation of control technologies, fuel use, costs and the reliability of electric generation. The U.S. Congress has the opportunity to enact legislation which would increase certainty while improving environmental and benefits and lowering costs of compliance