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PR EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN FROM MAJOR EMITTERS

Release Date: 08/08/96
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PR EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN FROM MAJOR EMITTERS

FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1996

EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE ACID RAIN FROM MAJOR EMITTERS CUT IN HALF, EXCEED REDUCTION GOALS BY 40 PERCENT

EPA announced today that harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the largest and dirtiest electric utility boilers in the United States have been reduced by more than 50 percent from 1980 levels -- almost 40 percent beyond the reductions required under the Clean Air Act -- as a result of industry compliance in the first year of EPA's acid rain control program. These boilers contributed over 60 percent of all utility emissions of SO2 in 1980. Sulfur dioxide is a by-product of burning coal and oil that reacts with other substances in the atmosphere to form acidic compounds that are carried down to ground level in rain, snow and dust. People suffering from asthma and other lung ailments are especially vulnerable to airborne sulfates. Acid rain also harms fish and lakes, damages high-altitude forests and contributes to the deterioration of buildings.

"The dramatic reductions in pollution under EPA's acid rain control program demonstrate this Administration's strong belief that the protection of public health is compatible with our economic goals," said EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner.

According to EPA estimates, last year these reductions saved the public over $10 billion in health care costs.

The 445 electric utility boilers in the program in 1995, among the nation's largest and highest emitting facilities, produced only 5.3 million tons of SO2 last year compared to their 1980 levels of 10.9 million tons. Coupled with the emission reductions from other industrial and transportation sources, total national SO2 emissions have declined from 25.9 million tons in 1980 to 18.0 million tons in 1995. Most of that reduction has taken place since 1993.

The Clean Air Act establishes a program to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from electric utility power plants by 8.5 million tons from 1980 levels (roughly 50 percent) by 2010. The Act identifies 263 boilers (the biggest and dirtiest in the United States) that are required to make 50 percent reductions between 1995-2000. Other boilers may voluntarily enter the program early, and a total of 182 additional boilers participated in 1995 (for a total of 445). The remaining 1500 boilers in the United States are required to control emissions by 2010 beginning in 2000.

For an annual investment of about $2 billion, America is getting a program that will, when fully implemented, reduce the number of acidic lakes and streams, generate annual health benefits savings of between $12 - $40 billion per year, and reap visibility benefits (the 

ability to see farther and more clearly because of air pollution reduction) of $3.5 billion a year. The "1995 Compliance Report" also indicates the cost of reducing a ton of SO2 continues to decline. A 1994 U.S. General Accounting Office report showed the expected cost of compliance dropped from the government's l990 estimate of $4 billion per year to $2 billion per year.

A recent study prepared for the U.S. Geological Survey by Pennsylvania State University and the Illinois State Water Survey suggests the reduction in SO2 emissions produced a 10 - 25 percent drop in rainfall acidity last year, particularly in the Midwest, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic states--areas directly downwind of the facilities which reduced their emissions.

The continuous emissions monitors used by the facilities in the acid rain program provide some of the most accurate and complete data ever collected by EPA. All facilities have installed and tested their monitors and perform frequent quality assurance checks.

The "1995 Compliance Results Report," which provides detailed information on the compliance status of each boiler, is available on the Internet, https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/ardhome.html.

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