1­
1
CHAPTER
1.
INTRODUCTION
This
report
presents
the
approach
and
results
of
multiple
pollutant
analyses
that
the
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
has
conducted
to
help
inform
a
determination
that
EPA
must
make
under
Section
112(
n)(
I)(
A)
of
the
Clean
Air
Act
Amendments
of
1990
(
CAAA)
regarding
the
regulation
of
mercury
emissions
from
electric
power
plants.
1
This
analysis
examines
hypothetical
pollution
control
options
to
reduce
emissions
of
the
most
significant
air
pollutants
from
electric
power
generation.
The
analyses
presented
here
continue
a
series
of
multiple
pollutant
analyses
that
EPA
has
undertaken
over
the
past
three
years.
Multiple
pollutant
analyses,
such
as
this,
provide
valuable
information
to
EPA,
the
power
industry,
and
the
public
about
the
interrelationship
of
the
major
pollutants
of
the
electric
power
industry
and
the
control
of
those
pollutants.

The
pollution
control
options
that
were
examined
include
lowering
power
plant
sulfur
dioxide
(
SO2)
emissions
beyond
the
requirements
of
the
Clean
Air
Act's
Acid
Rain
program
to
address
the
fine
particulate
problem,
reducing
future
levels
of
carbon
dioxide
(
carbon)
emissions,
and
controlling
mercury
emissions.
Each
of
the
hypothetical
control
options
that
the
Agency
examined
considered
in
the
Base
Case
the
implementation
of
a
nitrogen
oxide
(
NOx)
reduction
program
that
EPA
recently
promulgated
in
the
NOx
SIP
call.
That
rule
requires
22
States
and
the
District
of
Columbia
to
submit
State
Implementation
Plans
under
the
CAAA
that
will
decrease
the
transport
of
ozone
in
the
eastern
United
States.
2
The
NOx
controls
required
by
that
rule
will
go
into
effect
in
2003.
This
is
before
any
of
the
hypothetical
pollution
control
options
that
EPA
examined
in
this
study
will
go
into
effect.

For
each
pollution
control
option
examined
in
this
study,
the
Agency
estimated
changes
that
would
occur
for
NOx,
SO2,
carbon,
and
mercury
emissions.
The
study
estimates
the
changes
in
air
emissions
(
not
changes
in
air
quality
concentrations
or
environmental
damage)
that
would
occur,
if
any
of
the
control
options
were
implemented.

The
options
presented
in
this
report
are
hypothetical
approaches
to
emission
controls
on
the
electric
power
industry
for
each
pollutant
and
do
not
represent
the
EPA
or
Administration
position
on
how
any
of
these
pollutants
should
be
reduced
in
the
future.
EPA
has
made
no
determinations
whether
or
how
much
additional
SO2
1
Issuance
of
this
report
satisfies
a
provision
in
a
settlement
agreement
between
the
EPA
and
the
Natural
Resources
Defense
Council
concerning
mercury
from
electric
power
plants.
See
Natural
Resources
Defense
Council,
Inc
v.
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency,
et
al.,
No.
92­
1415
(
D.
C.
Circuit).
The
settlement
requires
an
analysis
of
the
reduction
in
emissions
of
mercury
(
and
the
effect
on
mercury
removal
costs)
that
would
be
achieved
through
an
array
of
strategies
to
control
the
emissions
of
SO2,
NOx,
CO2,
and
mercury,
and
an
analysis
of
the
reductions
on
emissions
of
SO2,
NOx,
and
CO2
that
would
be
achieved
through
an
array
of
strategies
to
control
the
emissions
of
mercury.
2
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency,
40
CFR
Parts
51,
72,
75,
and
96
"
Finding
of
Significant
Contribution
and
Rulemaking
for
Certain
States
in
the
Ozone
Transport
Assessment
Group
Region
for
the
Purposes
of
Reducing
Regional
Transport
of
Ozone;
Rule,"
63
FR
57357­
538
October
27,
1998.
1­
2
control
could
be
needed
to
address
fine
particulate
problems,
or
whether
and
to
what
extent
there
should
be
future
reductions
of
mercury
or
carbon
dioxide
emissions.
Specifically
with
regard
to
carbon
dioxide,
the
Administration
has
committed
not
to
implement
the
Kyoto
Protocol
without
the
advice
and
consent
of
the
Senate.

For
interested
readers,
EPA
has
placed
its
data
input
files
and
important
sections
of
the
modeling
runs
at
the
following
web
site:
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
capi.
The
Agency
invites
review
and
comment
on
the
analyses
provided
in
this
report.
3
The
remainder
of
this
report
is
organized
in
the
following
chapters:

 
Chapter
2
describes
the
methodology
and
the
Base
Case
used
in
the
analysis.

 
Chapter
3
provides
the
results
of
the
analysis
on
hypothetical
options
to
lower
SO2
and
carbon
emissions
in
the
future.

 
Chapter
4
provides
the
results
of
the
analysis
on
hypothetical
options
to
lower
mercury
emissions.

3
Please
send
comments
to
the
Electric
Power
Air
Emissions
Study
Docket,
Office
of
Air
and
Radiation,
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency,
401
M
Street
SW,
Washington,
DC
20460.
