The EPA’s recently finalized rule intended to help downwind states reach air quality standards has drawn the ire of Republican leaders who have questioned whether the agency has adequately considered its effects on industry and electric generation.
On March 15 the EPA finalized its “good neighbor” plan, which aims to reduce cross-state smog pollution from power plants and other industrial sources by requiring the use of emissions reduction technologies. Beginning during this year’s summer ozone season, power plants in 22 states will be required to participate in a revised cap-and-trade program where the agency sets emission budgets that will decline over time.
The agency estimated that the plan will reduce ozone-forming nitrous oxide emissions by approximately 70,000 tons during the 2026 ozone season. It also estimated it will prevent 1,300 premature deaths, reduce hospital visits and could have economic benefits as high as $15 billion, which it said would far outweigh the cost of compliance.
