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Pa. proposes mercury reduction rules

Posted on: Thursday, 23 February 2006, 12:16 CST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell has proposed a mercury reduction plan that is stricter than federal rules but would protect the state's bituminous coal industry.

The proposal, unveiled on Wednesday, would reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2015. This is nearly 40 percent more than what federal rules would achieve at that time, while not discriminating against generating units that burn bituminous coal.

Bituminous coal from Appalachian states in the East has a higher heat content than sub-bituminous coal from the West.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized its mercury reduction rule for new and existing coal-fired power plants in May 2005. The rule took effect on July 18.

The EPA's rule calls for utilities to reduce mercury emissions at coal-fired plants by 70 percent by 2018.

Pennsylvania and several other states, however, have filed lawsuits challenging the federal rule as insufficiently protective of public health and biased against certain coal types including bituminous coal.

"Not only does the federal rule endanger residents by allowing continued exposure to dangerous levels of mercury in the environment, but it also sets up unfair market barriers that would result in a very real and significant economic dislocation for the Pennsylvania coal industry," Rendell said in a news release on Wednesday.

The federal rule requires little or no mercury reductions from units using sub-bituminous coal from the West but places stringent requirements on bituminous coal from Pennsylvania.

THE PENNSYLVANIA PLAN

Under its proposal, Pennsylvania would "presume" compliance with its mercury reduction rules by generating units that burn 100 percent bituminous coal with advanced air control technologies already mandated by new federal clean air rules.

Owners and operators of utilities in Pennsylvania and across the nation are examining ways to comply with the U.S. EPA's new two-phased Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

To comply with CAIR, these facilities will likely have to install selective catalytic reduction systems, electrostatic precipitators and wet scrubbers on their coal-fired units or switch to lower sulfur coal.

In addition to reducing NOX and SO2, these emission control systems also reduce mercury.

The governor's proposal would enable utilities to realize the benefits of mercury reduction through the installation of CAIR-required control technology without installing specialized mercury reduction equipment.

Pennsylvania has 36 coal-fired power plants with 78 generating units representing 20,000 megawatts of capacity -- enough to power about 16 million homes.

These units account for about 77 percent of the more than five tons of mercury emitted into the air from all sources in the commonwealth, making Pennsylvania second only to Texas in terms of total mercury emissions and third behind Texas and Ohio, respectively, for mercury from electric generation.

Mercury is a neurotoxin that damages the brain and nervous system in children and heart and immune system in adults.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wisconsin already have state-specific mercury reduction plans in place, while Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia all have regulatory actions or legislation pending.

Source: REUTERS

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