EPA Issues First National Standards for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants

The EPA has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium and cyanide. The standards will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants. In addition to the more than 900,000 public comments that helped inform the final standards, EPA worked extensively with stakeholders, including industry, to minimize cost and maximize flexibilities. Part of this feedback encouraged EPA to ensure the standards focused on readily available and widely deployed pollution control technologies that are not only manufactured by companies in the US but also support short-term and long-term jobs. EPA estimates that manufacturing, engineering, installing and maintaining the pollution controls to meet these standards will provide employment for thousands, potentially including 46,000 short-term construction jobs and 8,000 long-term utility jobs. The standards also ensure that public health and economic benefits far outweigh costs of implementation. EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, the American public will see up to $9 in health benefits. The total health and economic benefits of this standard are estimated to be as much as $90 billion annually. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the final Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which was issued earlier this year, are estimated to prevent up to 46,000 premature deaths. The two programs are an investment in public health that will provide a total of up to $380 billion in return to American families in the form of longer, healthier lives and reduced health care costs.