After seeing mercury data, EPA seeks more comments

Washington (Platts)--30Nov2004

Based on the findings and the questions raised by more than 680,000 public
comments on its proposed mercury rule for coal-fired power plants, the
Environmental Protection Agency is considering modifying its benefits
assessment and certain aspects of its methodology. It now seeks comments on
the areas in question. 
EPA has proposed a "cap-and-trade" system that targets a 70% reduction in
mercury emissions during the next two decades or longer. EPA Administrator
Mike Leavitt has said the agency favors this market-based approach that would
allow utilities to buy mercury emissions allowances while gradually reducing
their emissions. The agency also has proposed a maximum achievable control
technology (MACT) approach to reduce power plant emissions of mercury by 14
tons or about 30% by early 2008.
As EPA wrote in its 73-page Notice of Data Availability released Tuesday,
modeling analyses from industry and environmental groups came to different
conclusions. In some cases, EPA and stakeholders modeled the same or similar
policy scenarios, sometimes even using the same model, but they obtained
"substantially different" results because of the various assumptions employed.
Additionally, some data were not available when the mercury rule was proposed.

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