http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2764576,00.html
EPA's mercury rule attacked Feds dispute activists' claim of more toxic emissions By Kim McGuire Denver Post Staff Writer Post file / Jerry Cleveland Xcel Energy's coal-burning Arapahoe Station power plant in a May 2004 photo. Western states could see a spike in toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in coming years under a rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, national environmental groups charged. Under the Clean Air Mercury Rule, 48 tons a year of mercury pollution from the nation's 600 coal-fired plants will decrease to 38 tons in 2010 and 15 tons in 2018, EPA officials said. "This rule marks the first time the United States has regulated mercury emissions from power plants," said Steve Johnson, EPA's acting administrator. "In doing so, we become the first nation in the world to address this remaining source of air pollution." Environmental groups and public health advocates were quick to criticize the rule. Many argued that the West - where several new coal-fired plants are proposed - will actually see an increase in mercury, a pollutant that impairs neurological development. Advertisement An analysis of EPA data by Environmental Defense indicates that mercury pollution in Colorado could increase by 148 percent from 1999 levels by 2010 under the new mercury regulations. Another look, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, predicts an even greater increase. "This rule fails the most elementary test of sound public policy of protecting the public's health by allowing toxic pollution to affect another generation rather than calling for meaningful cuts now," said Vickie Patton, a senior attorney for Environmental Defense in Colorado. Under the new rule, utilities would not be required to do anything more for the next five years than they are required to do under another power-plant rule EPA issued last week. During the second phase of the new regulations, EPA will allow a cap-and-trade approach that sets a maximum on how much pollution should be allowed, then lets companies trade within those limits. "The cap-and-trade approach sounds great unless you are one of those people who lives near a power plant that chooses to spend money on paper credits instead of making real mercury reductions," said Carl Pope, Sierra Club executive director. Officials with Xcel Energy, which operates seven of the 12 coal-fired power plants in Colorado, said customers won't be hit with the kind of rate hikes that would have been triggered under the "command and control" approach endorsed by environmentalists. "One concern we had as an industry is if they (environmental regulators) set mercury emissions on a stack- by-stack basis and they don't do it right, and it forces us to change the way we generate electricity, that will result in a significant cost to the customer," said Frank Prager, Xcel's managing director of environmental policy. Doug Benevento, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, disputed claims by environmental groups that the new mercury rule would trigger spikes in Colorado emissions. "With this rule, you are ensuring mercury emissions would be less than they would otherwise," he said. Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] . -- ....they did not stop to think they died instead then shall the voice of liberty be mute?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Save $10 Download ZoneAlarm Security Suite http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=66 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:150739 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
