Michael Regan | environmental protection agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a rule to withdraw part of the Regional Haze Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) federal implementation plan in Texas.
The EPA is updating the BART federal implementation plan to include source-specific emission limits for sulfur dioxide and particulate matter on 12 electric generating units at six Texas power plants, according to an April 21 news release. This proposed rule is intended to address Clean Air Act requirements to protect visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.
“EPA is releasing a new Regional Haze Rule that will improve visibility in national parks and other natural settings. We welcome public comments on this proposed rule, and we will carefully consider all comments before taking final action,” EPA Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance said in the release.
Proposed EPA rule is intended to address Clean Air Act requirements to protect visibility in Texas.
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The new rule is also proposed to affirm the current Regional Haze Rule provision allowing states whose electric generating units participate in a Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) trading program for a given pollutant to continue to rely on CSAPR participation as a BART alternative for its BART-eligible EGUs for that pollutant, the release said.
The EPA is proposing to withdraw the Texas SO2 Trading Program federal implementation plan and replace it with a new plan that includes source-specific sulfur dioxide emission limits on the 12 electric generating units at six power plants. The proposed SO2 emission limits would reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in Texas by more than 80,000 tons per year, according to the release.
The EPA is also proposing to disapprove a portion of the Texas Regional Haze state implementation plan that addresses the BART requirement for electric generating units for particulate matter, given that it relies on the Texas SO2 Trading Program, the release said. EPA is proposing source-specific particulate matter BART emission limits for the 12 electric generating units at six power plants.
The proposed implementation of source-specific BART in Texas, combined with affirming CSAPR as a BART alternative, fully resolves issues raised in several petitions for reconsideration received by the EPA in 2017 and 2020, the release said. EPA will continue to work with Texas and all states to ensure outstanding Regional Haze requirements of the Clean Air Act are fully addressed.
