The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal for new regulations aimed at limiting downwind smog pollution from high emitters will protect the health of U.S. citizens, the agency's administrator said in a release.
The proposed regulations would reduce the amount of pollution from power plants and industrial sources "that significantly contribute to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone, or smog, for millions of Americans who live downwind," the agency's March 11 news release said. The proposal would build on an existing regulatory framework to help "fully resolve" obligations under the Clean Air Act's "good neighbor" provisions, enhance public health and improve regional environmental protection.
"Following the science and the law, this 'good neighbor' plan will better protect the health of Americans across the country," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the news release. "Air pollution doesn't stop at the state line. This step will help our state partners meet air quality health standards, saving lives and improving public health in smog-affected communities across the United States."
The plan proposed by the EPA would target electric generating units in 25 states that are part of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule NOX Ozone Season Group 3 Trading Program, starting next year. Under the proposal, the number of power plants that must meet cross-state air pollution rules would increase.
The plan also eyes Industrial sources in 23 states that contribute to downwind smog. Those sources would be subject to new emissions standards starting in 2026. These industrial sources would include boilers and furnaces used in iron and steel mills and kilns used in cement manufacturing.
The proposal follows Regan's comments in January that EPA plans to regulate mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants more tightly. Regulating mercury and other toxic emissions would protect poor and minority communities near those power plants, Regan said in a Jan. 25 Wall Street Journal news story.
Both statements come at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is considering questions about the EPA's authority in the case West Virginia v EPA. Supreme Court Justices heard arguments in the case in late February.
