EPA takes aim at coal plants of Midwest, Ohio Valley states

Copyright 1998 Des Moines Register September 25, 1998

Washington, D.C. Twenty-two states from Missouri to Massachusetts were ordered Thursday to reduce smog-causing emissions as the Environmental Protection Agency moved to stem the flow of air pollution from the Midwest to the Northeast.

The primary target of the tougher federal controls, which were estimated to cost $ 17 billion over the next decade, will be scores of coal burning power plants in the Midwest and Ohio Valley. Iowa was not included.

EPA Administrator Carol Browner said the additional cuts in nitrogen oxide releases will mean cleaner air for 138 million Americans and help local officials meet new, tougher air quality standards announced last year.

"Thousands of cases of smog-related illnesses, like bronchitis and exacerbated cases of childhood asthma, will help be prevented each year," Browner said. She estimated the annual health benefits at $ 3.4 billion.

It is the first effort by EPA to address concerns about the impact of long- range pollution from Midwest and Ohio Valley power plants on urban centers in the Northeast where officials are struggling to meet federal air quality requirements.

The 22 states under the EPA new regulation must cut annual nitrogen oxide emissions by a total of 1.1 million tons, or about 28 percent, by 2003.

West Virginia will have to cut in half its nitrogen oxide releases, mainly from coal-burning power plants. Cuts of a third or more will be required by Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky.

By contrast, Northeast states, where utilities use less coal and have already tightened pollution efforts, will face less-severe cuts. Rhode Island is below the EPA's target for the state, while Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York face cuts of 6 percent or less.

Utilities that cannot meet the 2003 target will be allowed to buy pollution "credits" from companies that have exceeded the target, if that is more economical.

While the EPA's primary aim was to address the interstate flow of smog- causing chemicals, Browner said the emission cuts also will help many communities, including those in the Midwest, to comply with the tougher ozone air quality standards issued last year.

Midwest officials have argued that the impact on the Northeastern states has been exaggerated, and that the EPA requirement will force utilities to commit to expensive pollution controls with modest environmental gains.

The EPA cited a two-year study, conducted by the states.

States covered

* The new requirements apply to Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus the District of Columbia.

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