AIR POLLUTION
MONITORING
& SAMPLING   NEWSLETTER                           January  2007  No. 327

 

Pennsylvania Hg Reduction Plan Includes 80 Percent Reduction by 2010, No Trading

Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that Pennsylvania’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) has approved a plan to cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania by 90 percent by 2015. IRRC voted 3-2 to approve the two-step state-specific plan that requires an 80 percent reduction in mercury emissions by 2010, and a 90 percent reduction by 2015. Unlike the federal program, trading of mercury allowances is prohibited under Pennsylvania’s proposal.

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has submitted the approved state-specific plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for review. Pennsylvania’s rulemaking still requires review by the state attorney general before becoming final. The state legislature also reserved for itself an additional 14 days for possible further consideration of the plan. Details about Pennsylvania’s state-specific mercury reduction plan are available on DEP’s website at www.depweb.state.pa.us.

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