Open AccessTougher rules for mercury and other toxics
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2012eo010004
Subject(s) - mercury (programming language) , environmental science , waste management , power station , pollution , pollutant , mercury pollution , fugitive emissions , coal , major stationary source , clean air act , air pollution , environmental protection , environmental engineering , greenhouse gas , engineering , chemistry , computer science , ecology , electrical engineering , organic chemistry , biology , programming language
A new rule on mercury and air toxics standards, issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 21 December, will reduce emissions of heavy metals and acid gases from power plants. The rule, which gives existing sources of pollution up to 4 years to comply with the new standards, will affect about 1400 existing “units,” including 1100 coal‐fired units and 300 oilfired units, at about 600 power plants. EPA notes that more than half of all coal‐fired plants already deploy pollution‐control technologies. Power plants are the largest U.S. source of several pollutants—accounting for about 50% of mercury emissions and 77% of acid gas emissions—and emit the largest amounts of arsenic and other toxics, according to EPA.