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EPA Wants Healthy Cuts: Emissions Proposal Could Force U.S. Industries to Spend Millions to Clean Up Power Plants; Critics Blast Stricter Limits As Still Too Lax

Posted on: Thursday, 22 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By Anthony Cormier, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla., The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Dec. 22--Federal officials this week proposed stricter limits on soot and other tiny particles emitted by smokestacks and tailpipes, although the plans were jeered by critics who say the Environmental Protection Agency is falling short of air pollution goals set by a group of scientific advisers.

Prompted by a lawsuit filed by health advocates and environmental activists, the proposals could result in sweeping changes across the country and force industries to spend millions to clean up power plants and diesel emissions.

At the root of the changes are tiny particles -- 2.5 micrometers or smaller -- that are sent into the air and can travel thousands of miles, lodging deeply in lungs and human tissue to cause myriad health issues.

Particle pollution is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. The particles are made up of various components, including acids, organic chemicals, metals, soil, dust and allergens.

To get an idea of how small the particles are, a human hair is about 60 to 70 micrometers in width.

The plan would lower the threshold for tiny particles measured daily to 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air from the 1997 standard of 65 micrograms per cubic meter. EPA officials suggested that as many as 116 counties currently would be in violation of the proposed measurements. Most of the affected counties are in California and the Northeast.

On Wednesday, Florida authorities reported that particle emissions were below the threshold proposed by the EPA. Northwest Florida is covered by monitoring stations in Escambia and Leon counties.

Stephen Johnson, EPA's administrator, said in a news conference on Tuesday that he made the decision "based upon the best available science" -- despite a lengthy review by the EPA's own scientific advisory council and new studies that detail the danger of soot and particles.

Johnson acknowledged that the data could change, and the EPA would continue monitoring new research before it issues a final change.

An advisory council had suggested two things: cutting the daily measurement to 30 per cubic meter and the annual measurement from 15 to 14. Other groups -- including the American Lung Association -- sought a daily reduction to 25 per cubic meter.

"Unfortunately EPA has ignored this advice and proposed a standard that will not adequately protect the public," Lung Association's president, John L. Kirkwood, said in a statement. "EPA set those standards in 1997 when we knew so much less than we do now about the health impact of particle pollution. We now know better. There is no excuse to set the new standards at levels that still do not meet the basic legal requirement outlined in the Clean Air Act -- to protect the lives and health of the public."

Individual facilities such as Gulf Power Co.'s Lansing Smith plant are only part of the equation, as a number of factors -- including vehicle traffic, congestion and even controlled burns -- impact the amount of particles in the air.

Despite steep increases in demand, a Gulf Power spokeswoman said Wednesday that the company has reduced by 73 percent the amount of sulfur dioxides emitted since 1992.

State environmental officials monitor particle pollution in 31 counties, and much of that data is available in online reports. The changes could affect power company customers, but cost hikes are set by the Public Service Commission, an arm of the state.

"The community as a whole ultimately will be responsible for ensuring compliance with any new ambient air quality standard," wrote Gulf Power spokeswoman Lynn Erickson in an e-mail message, "since many factors contribute to the different types of particulate matter."

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Copyright (c) 2005, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The News Herald

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