Power plants must cut pollution crossing state lines, under new EPA standards

The Biden administration announced tougher limits Wednesday on smog-forming pollutants from power plants and other industrial facilities, a move that officials said would reduce air pollution in downwind communities and help Americans suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems.

The new standards, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, are intended to place tighter constraints on air pollution from 23 states, including Indiana. These are states with coal and natural gas power plants that benefit economically from these facilities, but release pollution that drifts across state lines, where it affects millions of people who can’t control it.

This interstate air pollution regulation, known as the “good neighbor” rule, has long-pitted Rust Belt and Appalachian states against those on the East Coast. They are especially vulnerable to pollution blown in by the nation’s prevailing west-to-east winds. Many of these states have argued for years that they cannot meet federal air quality standards without the federal government’s help in cutting smog and soot pollution that originates across their borders.

“More than 80 million people live in downwind areas that do not meet health standards for this pollutant,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Wednesday. “Our more vulnerable communities are hardest hit by these devastating effects.”

The ozone-forming pollutant nitrogen oxide, soot and other harmful chemicals emitted by power plants, factory smokestacks and vehicle tailpipes carry serious health risks, causing breathing problems and aggravating asthma. EPA officials estimate the new restrictions would cut nitrogen oxide emissions from upwind states by roughly 70,000 tons by the summer of 2026, preventing up to 1,300 premature deaths and reducing hospital and emergency room visits. Summer is considered the “ozone season” because of the way hot, sunny weather interacts with air pollutants, worsening levels of ozone, a large component of smog.

Agency officials estimate about 25,000 tons of the nitrogen oxide reductions would come from power plants, which have to begin following the new standard this year. Other industrial sources, such as cements plants, iron and steel mills, and glass manufacturers, have until 2026 to comply and would make up the remaining 45,000 tons.

Satya Rhodes-Conway, mayor of Madison, Wis., said the city is doing what it can to cut ozone pollution from cars and buses by encouraging electrification, but emissions from upwind industrial sources are out of its control.

“We still have multiple nonattainment zones for ozone and with the hotter summers that we know are coming from climate change, we are at risk of exacerbating this problem.”

Though the new requirements do not target planet-warming carbon pollution from industrial facilities, they could affect climate change indirectly.

They would require coal and gas burning power plants’ owners to invest in upgrading their pollution controls, making it more expensive for them to operate. The pollution limits could be especially problematic for owners of the nation’s dirtiest coal plants, who may decide to shut down or switch to burning natural gas, rather than install costly new technology.

Republicans and the coal industry have long criticized the regulation for this reason, arguing it would lead to job losses and unfairly burden states that still generate most of their electricity from coal-burning plants.

The agency’s own estimates show the new limits would cost industrial polluters millions of dollars and, once fully implemented, would increase the costs of electricity production by slightly more than 1 percent. Even so, EPA officials say the benefits of cutting ozone-forming pollution would outweigh the compliance costs by about by $3.7 billion by 2026.

“This rule is about fairness,” Regan added. “Some states have done all they can do to control ozone pollution and their counterparts upwind are being asked to do the same . . . and not push pollution across state boundaries.”