Carper touts new Clean Air regulations

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) came to Ocean View on Friday, Feb. 5, 2010, to discuss his three-pollutant, or “3P,” legislation, in an exclusive interview with the Coastal Point.

The legislation, part of the Clean Air Act amendments of 2010, was introduced by Carper and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee on Feb. 4. It would aim to cut mercury emissions from coal-fired plants by 90 percent and tighten national limits on sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), Edward Kauffman (D-Del.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Joseph Lieberman (ID-Conn.) and Olympia Snowe (R. Maine).

“Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides get into the air and are later inhaled by us,” explained Carper. “Why are so their so many asthmatic kids?” he asked rhetorically, saying that as many as 186 million American are breathing in bad air (according to the American Lung Association), which, in turn, only adds to healthcare problems.

“This can save over 215,000 lives over the next 15 years and help insure that millions of visits to the doctor don’t have to take place,” he asserted.

Carper explained the importance of reducing mercury emissions, especially for women of child-bearing age, as mercury eventually works its way into foods. According to the March of Dimes, risks of eating fish or other foods with high amounts of mercury to those of child-bearing age or those women who are already pregnant include giving birth to babies with brain damage, learning disabilities and hearing loss.

Carper also explained that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been trying for the last decade to implement regulations on emissions from power plants and has been caught up in extended litigation.

EPA’s Clean Air Interstate Rule, or CAIR, is intended to reduce ozone and fine-particle pollution from power plants that is transported across state lines and originally applied to 28 states.

That rule was remanded by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but a December 2008 ruling leaves CAIR and the CAIR Federal Implementation Plans (FIPs) – including the CAIR trading programs – in place until EPA issues a new rule to replace CAIR, in accordance with a previous decision, citing that “vacating would have serious adverse implications for public health and the environment.”

Carper said he surmises that – although the utility companies are usually the ones opposing the regulations – they do not do so with malicious intent. However, he said stalls in regulation do little to help states like Delaware, which he called the “end of the tailpipe” from being directly affected by pollution from more westward states.

“The utility companies are not interested in killing people, but they don’t have clear guidelines,” he said.

Carper explained that while he was governor of Delaware, two-thirds of the state was out of compliance with air-quality standards, even though the majority of that pollution was generated from outside the state.

“I could have closed down the state, and we still would not have been in compliance because of the other states to the west of us,” he said.

“It harms our health and in some cases, takes our lives,” Carper added.

He explained that one main difference between legislation that he has previously put forth and this latest legislation is the pollutants involved. To keep politics out of it, this legislation leaves carbon dioxide, or CO2, out of the equation.

“There is a big battle with carbon dioxide and climate change – people asking, ‘Is it real?’ So we peeled off three of four to see if we can’t garner some support,” explained the senator.

Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee – a state which saw the largest coal fly-ash release in U.S. history in December of 2008, when the stored waste inundated a river basin and nearby residences – said the bill is about “good health, tourism and jobs.”

“Half a million Tennesseans suffer from asthma, and 400,000 of them are at risk because of poor air quality, so we must act now on getting these harmful pollutants out of the air,” Alexander said. “Mercury can contaminate our crops and water supply, ultimately harming brain function and other vital organs, and is especially harmful to children and pregnant women.

“Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can contribute to respiratory illness and other lung diseases,” continued Alexander. “And millions of people come to the Smokies every year to see the ‘blue haze’ the Cherokees sang about, not the grey smog that power plant emissions help to create.”

As with Carper’s Delaware, Alexander cited the need for national reform in order to garner local impacts.

“Tennessee cities by themselves will not be able to make our air clean enough to comply with new EPA regulations and attract auto suppliers and other new jobs to Tennessee unless strong national standards stop dirty air from blowing into Tennessee from other states,” he said.

To ensure that the regulations are cost-effective, the legislation also establishes nationwide trading systems for SO2 and NOx emissions. That means for companies that might not be in a financial situation where they can make necessary changes, such as using a lower-sulfur coal or air scrubbers – potentially costly changes – in the interim, they can purchase credits from companies that have made the changes, until they, too, can make changes themselves.

On mercury, though, the legislation takes a tougher stance.

“There is none available for mercury,” explained Carper of the trading credits. “We have the technology. You can buy it. It’s not that expensive. Buy it.”

Carper this week also expressed support for the potential shutdown of Generating Unit 3 at the Indian River Generating Station, announced last week by both NRG – owner of the generating station – and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources.

Over an expected operational life of at least 30 years, the shutdown is anticipated to achieve the following percentage reductions over and above what a 2007 agreement between the company and the department would have achieved: 81 percent reduction of nitrogen oxide, a 49 percent reduction of sulfur dioxide, a 93 percent reduction of carbon dioxide and a 93 percent reduction of mercury.

“It’s a very good thing,” Carper said of the possible shutdown of Unit 3. He also expressed delight in the fact that NRG has also recently entered the offshore wind business with the purchase of Bluewater Wind. “It’s win-win. They’ll have a fair amount of electricity capacity without the emissions.”

For more information on Carper’s stance on environmental and energy issues and more, visit http://carper.senate.gov online.