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Mercury pollution at Eraring power plant rose 130% in 12 months

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Mercury and particulate pollution from Australia’s largest coal-fired power station soared last year, prompting an environmental group to argue it would be “absurd and harmful” for the New South Wales government to extend its operations.Origin Energy’s 2,880-megawatt Eraring power station, slated by the company to close in August 2025, reported mercury pollution jumped 130% in 2022-23 compared with the previous year, according to data from the national pollution inventory. The heavy metal permanently damages brains and kidneys, especially those of children.The plant, near Lake Macquarie, also reported an 88% increase in PM2.5 particle (particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less) pollution. Emissions of PM10 particles (particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less) emitted by Eraring also rose 16%, while sulfur-dioxide pollution rose 15%. Illustration: National pollution inventory/Environmental Justice AustraliaTwo other NSW power stations also reported large increases of toxic pollutants. Sulfur-dioxide emissions from Delta Electricity’s Vales Point plant rose 47%, while AGL Energy’s Bayswater power station posted a 48% rise in mercury pollution and a 32% increase in PM2.5 particle emissions.The not-for-profit legal group Environment Justice Australia said the emissions increases came even as electricity output from NSW’s power stations fell 2.9% in 2022-23 from a year earlier. Output at Eraring was up 10.7%, increased 4% at Vales Point and fell 5.2% at Bayswater – changes smaller than the rise of their key pollutants.Mike Campbell, an executive member of the Central Coast Community Environment Network, called for action to stop continued pollution from coal-fired power stations.“Now is the time to phase out polluting coal power and replace it with renewable energy that doesn’t harm human health or the climate,” he said.“Our community has had enough of the asthma, the heart disease, the babies born with serious health conditions all related to air pollution from coal power stations.” Illustration: National pollution inventory/Environmental Justice AustraliaThe NSW government is expected to announce soon whether it will subsidise Origin to extend part or all of the Eraring plant to reduce the risk of blackouts during high-demand periods. One energy analyst has put the likely cost at $150m a year. Environmental Justice Australia said it would be “absurd and harmful” to extend the life of the facility.Tony Chappel, chief executive of the NSW Environment Protection Authority, said his agency would soon finalise a public review of all power station licences in the state, which it started late last year.“This follows the introduction of tightened air emission limits, including for mercury, and strengthened monitoring and reporting requirements on licence variations for all coal fired power stations in July 2020,” Chappel said.“The latest report shows a decrease in major air emissions in 2022-23 due to lower quantities of coal being burned and a downward trend in particle emissions, with significant decreases since the installation of best practice filtration systems.”An EPA spokesperson added that coal plants did not exceed their licence limits for mercury pollution in the 2022-23 year. However EnergyAustralia’s Mt Piper power station and Vales Point did report minor breaches for solid particles and sulfur dioxide, respectively. Those breaches were deemed administrative in nature.NSW’s mercury emissions were also below the highest levels reported from power stations in Victoria and Queensland.Guardian Australia approached the NSW government and the Environment Protection Authority for comment.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Afternoon UpdateOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionAn Origin spokesperson said the company was “committed to safely operating our power assets and we aim to minimise their impact on the environment and communities”.“We closely monitor emissions performance and Eraring continues to remain well beneath its emissions licence limits,” the spokesperson said, adding that the pollution changes reflected “an increase in Eraring’s output in order to meet the power needs of the market”.A spokesperson for AGL said the company had not exceeded emissions limits during the year: “At the Bayswater power station, we use several methods to limit air emissions from our operations such our continuous emissions monitoring systems and baghouse filtration plant.”Steve Gurney, a Delta spokesperson, said EJA’s claims were “highly selective”, noting Vales Point’s 10% increase in mercury pollution in 2022-23 overlooked a 27% reduction in the previous year.Gurney said the NSW government’s annual air quality statement found the state “experienced the best air quality on record across many measures in 2022”, with no days of “extremely poor air pollution levels”.“Ambient air quality continues to be very good in the area around Vales Point as well as all of Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast,” he said, adding Australia’s sulfur dioxide was “one of the tightest in the world”.The Australian Energy Council, a lobby group representing the big generators, said overall PM2.5 emissions were down 3.7% for the year and were about one-fifth lower over the past five years.But overall mercury emissions showed “an unexpected increase last year of almost 11% after four consecutive years of decreases”, the council said.“A range of factors can result in noticeable shifts in emissions, particularly year-on-year, such as demand and availability of plant,” a council spokesperson said. “Plant performance will also depend on how often they are dispatched by the market operator, changes in the operations of the plant and the quality of the coal used.”The council said coal-fired power stations supplied 63.4% of Australia’s electricity in 2022-23, down 0.6 percentage points for the year.

Environment groups say increased pollution levels means it would be ‘absurd and harmful’ to extend life of Eraring, which is due to close in August 2025Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastMercury and particulate pollution from Australia’s largest coal-fired power station soared last year, prompting an environmental group to argue it would be “absurd and harmful” for the New South Wales government to extend its operations.Origin Energy’s 2,880-megawatt Eraring power station, slated by the company to close in August 2025, reported mercury pollution jumped 130% in 2022-23 compared with the previous year, according to data from the national pollution inventory. The heavy metal permanently damages brains and kidneys, especially those of children. Continue reading...

Mercury and particulate pollution from Australia’s largest coal-fired power station soared last year, prompting an environmental group to argue it would be “absurd and harmful” for the New South Wales government to extend its operations.

Origin Energy’s 2,880-megawatt Eraring power station, slated by the company to close in August 2025, reported mercury pollution jumped 130% in 2022-23 compared with the previous year, according to data from the national pollution inventory. The heavy metal permanently damages brains and kidneys, especially those of children.

The plant, near Lake Macquarie, also reported an 88% increase in PM2.5 particle (particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less) pollution. Emissions of PM10 particles (particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less) emitted by Eraring also rose 16%, while sulfur-dioxide pollution rose 15%.

Illustration: National pollution inventory/Environmental Justice Australia

Two other NSW power stations also reported large increases of toxic pollutants. Sulfur-dioxide emissions from Delta Electricity’s Vales Point plant rose 47%, while AGL Energy’s Bayswater power station posted a 48% rise in mercury pollution and a 32% increase in PM2.5 particle emissions.

The not-for-profit legal group Environment Justice Australia said the emissions increases came even as electricity output from NSW’s power stations fell 2.9% in 2022-23 from a year earlier. Output at Eraring was up 10.7%, increased 4% at Vales Point and fell 5.2% at Bayswater – changes smaller than the rise of their key pollutants.

Mike Campbell, an executive member of the Central Coast Community Environment Network, called for action to stop continued pollution from coal-fired power stations.

“Now is the time to phase out polluting coal power and replace it with renewable energy that doesn’t harm human health or the climate,” he said.

“Our community has had enough of the asthma, the heart disease, the babies born with serious health conditions all related to air pollution from coal power stations.”

Illustration: National pollution inventory/Environmental Justice Australia

The NSW government is expected to announce soon whether it will subsidise Origin to extend part or all of the Eraring plant to reduce the risk of blackouts during high-demand periods. One energy analyst has put the likely cost at $150m a year. Environmental Justice Australia said it would be “absurd and harmful” to extend the life of the facility.

Tony Chappel, chief executive of the NSW Environment Protection Authority, said his agency would soon finalise a public review of all power station licences in the state, which it started late last year.

“This follows the introduction of tightened air emission limits, including for mercury, and strengthened monitoring and reporting requirements on licence variations for all coal fired power stations in July 2020,” Chappel said.

“The latest report shows a decrease in major air emissions in 2022-23 due to lower quantities of coal being burned and a downward trend in particle emissions, with significant decreases since the installation of best practice filtration systems.”

An EPA spokesperson added that coal plants did not exceed their licence limits for mercury pollution in the 2022-23 year. However EnergyAustralia’s Mt Piper power station and Vales Point did report minor breaches for solid particles and sulfur dioxide, respectively. Those breaches were deemed administrative in nature.

NSW’s mercury emissions were also below the highest levels reported from power stations in Victoria and Queensland.

Guardian Australia approached the NSW government and the Environment Protection Authority for comment.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

An Origin spokesperson said the company was “committed to safely operating our power assets and we aim to minimise their impact on the environment and communities”.

“We closely monitor emissions performance and Eraring continues to remain well beneath its emissions licence limits,” the spokesperson said, adding that the pollution changes reflected “an increase in Eraring’s output in order to meet the power needs of the market”.

A spokesperson for AGL said the company had not exceeded emissions limits during the year: “At the Bayswater power station, we use several methods to limit air emissions from our operations such our continuous emissions monitoring systems and baghouse filtration plant.”

Steve Gurney, a Delta spokesperson, said EJA’s claims were “highly selective”, noting Vales Point’s 10% increase in mercury pollution in 2022-23 overlooked a 27% reduction in the previous year.

Gurney said the NSW government’s annual air quality statement found the state “experienced the best air quality on record across many measures in 2022”, with no days of “extremely poor air pollution levels”.

“Ambient air quality continues to be very good in the area around Vales Point as well as all of Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast,” he said, adding Australia’s sulfur dioxide was “one of the tightest in the world”.

The Australian Energy Council, a lobby group representing the big generators, said overall PM2.5 emissions were down 3.7% for the year and were about one-fifth lower over the past five years.

But overall mercury emissions showed “an unexpected increase last year of almost 11% after four consecutive years of decreases”, the council said.

“A range of factors can result in noticeable shifts in emissions, particularly year-on-year, such as demand and availability of plant,” a council spokesperson said. “Plant performance will also depend on how often they are dispatched by the market operator, changes in the operations of the plant and the quality of the coal used.”

The council said coal-fired power stations supplied 63.4% of Australia’s electricity in 2022-23, down 0.6 percentage points for the year.

Read the full story here.
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Plastic waste in IndonesiaPA Images / Alamy The world currently produces more than 50 million tonnes of “mismanaged” plastic waste each year, and some researchers project this flood of plastic pollution will double by mid-century – but they also say that, if countries can agree to adopt four key policies during global plastic treaty negotiations this week, we could slash that number by 90 per cent. Plastic pollution ends up clogging ecosystems on land and at sea. “This has an impact on every level of the food chain, from phytoplankton cells to humans,” says Sarah-Jeanne Royer at the University of California, San Diego. Plastics are also responsible for about 5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why most of the world’s countries are meeting in Busan, South Korea this week to hammer out the final details of a global treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution. 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The most impactful of these was a mandate that plastic products contain at least 40 per cent recycled material. That rule alone cut plastic pollution in half by mid-century. This effect is so significant because it cuts demand for newly made or “virgin” plastic while also spurring demand for recycled materials, says McCauley. “Suddenly there’s a giant global market for recycling.” But recycling on its own wasn’t sufficient. “If your target is to end plastic pollution, you need to do things across the entire lifecycle,” he says. Deeper cuts required limiting production of virgin plastics to 2020 levels. This production cap cut plastic pollution by around 60 million tonnes per year by the middle of the century, according to the model. This change also had the greatest impact on greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, as extracting fossil fuels and turning them into virgin plastics involves emissions-intensive processes. 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Money raised by such a tax could also be used to pay for other changes, like building out waste management infrastructure or improving recycling systems. Royer, who was not involved with the study, says she thinks those policies would all help. Reducing the use of single-use plastic such as grocery bags or plastic forks via a tax or a ban could also make a difference, she says. “If we look at plastic pollution in general, 40 per cent of the plastic being produced is single-use items.” However, she points out local rules alone will never solve the problem. For instance, California banned some single-use plastic bags a decade ago and this year banned all such bags. But most of the plastic pollution that washes up on its beaches originates outside the state: California’s plastic waste generally drifts across the Pacific from Asia or is flotsam left by the fishing industry. “There’s no border,” says Royer. That’s where a global treaty comes in. 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A “high-ambition coalition” of 68 countries, including the UK, is pushing for a treaty that would include both, with the goal of eliminating plastic pollution by 2040. Other researchers have also argued a cap on plastic production is necessary to end pollution. But just last week, advocates for a production cap were dismayed by reports the US would not support a specific limit on plastic production. McCauley recently penned an open letter – signed by more than one hundred researchers – to the Biden administration urging it to support a strong plastic treaty. “We’re at a pivotal moment,” said Erin Simon at the World Wildlife Foundation, an environmental advocacy group, in an email to press. “Our last best chance to forge an agreement that could end the flow of plastic into nature is within reach, but only if countries come to the negotiating table with a clear vision and determination to get the job done.”

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Nations Meet To End Plastic Pollution With A Global Treaty. Here’s What To Know.

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Toxic Air Pollution in India and Pakistan Is “a National Disaster”

This story was originally published by Voxx.com and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. India and Pakistan are losing ground to a common deadly enemy. Vast clouds of dense, toxic smog have once again shrouded metropolises in South Asia. Air pollution regularly spikes in November in the subcontinent, but this year’s dirty air has […]

This story was originally published by Voxx.com and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. India and Pakistan are losing ground to a common deadly enemy. Vast clouds of dense, toxic smog have once again shrouded metropolises in South Asia. Air pollution regularly spikes in November in the subcontinent, but this year’s dirty air has still been breathtaking in its scale and severity. The gray, smoky pollution is even visible to satellites, and it’s fueling a public health crisis. Last week, officials in the Punjab province in Pakistan imposed lockdowns on the cities of Multan, population 2.1 million, and Lahore, population 13.7 million, after reaching record-high pollution levels. “Smog is currently a national disaster,” senior Punjab provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said during a press conference last week. Schools shut down, restaurants closed, construction halted, highways sat empty, and medical staff were recalled to hospitals and clinics. Across the border in India, the 33 million residents of Delhi this week are breathing air pollution that’s 50 times higher than the safe limit outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The choking haze caused 15 aircraft to divert to nearby airports and caused hundreds of delays. Students and workers were told to stay home. Global health authorities say air pollution has reduced the average life expectancy by 2.3 years, and contributes to almost 7 million deaths annually. Despite all the disruption, air pollution continues to spike year after year after year. Why? The dirty air arises from a confluence of human and natural factors. Construction, cooking fires, brick kilns, vehicles, and burning leftovers from crop harvests are all feeding into the toxic clouds. The Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountains to the north of lower-lying areas like Lahore and Delhi hold the smog in place. In the winter, the region experiences thermal inversions, where a layer of warm air pushes down on cool winter air, holding the pollution closer to the ground. As populations grow in South Asia, so will the need for food, energy, housing, and transportation. Without a course correction, that will mean even more pollution. Yet history shows that air pollution is a solvable problem. Cities like Los Angeles and Beijing that were once notorious for dirty air have managed to clean it up. The process took years, drawing on economic development and new technologies. But it also required good governance and incentives to cut pollution, something local officials in India and Pakistan have already demonstrated can clear the air. The task now is to scale it up to higher levels of government. There’s no shortage of science showing how terrible air pollution is for you. It aggravates asthma, worsens heart disease, triggers inflammation, and increases infection risk. It hampers brain development in children and can contribute to dementia in adults. On average, air pollution has reduced life expectancies around the world by 2.3 years, more than tobacco. It contributes to almost 7 million deaths per year, according to WHO, about one in nine deaths annually. It sucks trillions of dollars out of the global economy. The toll is especially acute in South Asia. Air pollution drains 3.9 years of life in Pakistan. In India, it steals 5.3 years. For workers who spend their days outdoors—delivery drivers, construction crews, farm laborers—the damage is even higher. Many residents report constant fevers, coughs, and headaches. Despite the well-known dangers and the mounting threat, it remains a persistent problem. Part of the challenge of improving air quality is that air pollution isn’t just one thing; it’s a combination of hazardous chemicals and particles that arise in teeming metropolises in developing countries. One of the most popular metrics around the world for tracking pollution is the Air Quality Index, developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The index is not a measurement of any one pollutant, but rather the risk from a combination of pollutants based on US air quality standards. The main villains are ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particles. The particles are subcategorized into those smaller than 10 microns (PM10) and smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). (Earlier this year, the EPA modified the way it calculates the AQI, so numbers from this year are not an apples-to-apples comparison to levels from previous years.) The tiny particles are pernicious because they penetrate deep into the lungs and trigger breathing problems. “I think the most surprising, interesting, and scary thing, honestly, is seeing the levels of pollution in areas that haven’t been monitored before.” An AQI below 50 is considered safe to breathe. Above 200, the air is considered a health threat for everyone. At 300, it’s an emergency. In Delhi, the AQI this last week reached 1,185. Lahore reached 1,900 this month. If a person breathes this air for over 24 hours, the exposure is roughly equivalent to smoking 90 cigarettes in a day. However, air pollution poses a threat long before it’s visible. “Your eye is not a good detector of air pollution in general,” said Christi Chester Schroeder, the air quality science manager at IQAir, a company that builds air quality monitoring instruments and collects pollution data. “The pollutant that you have to be really careful about in terms of not being able to see it but experiencing it is ozone. Ozone levels can be extremely high on sunny days.” IQAir has a network of air quality sensors across South Asia, including regions like Lahore and Delhi. The company tracks pollution in real time using its own sensors as well as monitors bought by schools, businesses, and ordinary people. Their professional-grade air monitors can cost more than $20,000 but they also sell consumer air quality trackers that cost $300. Both sources help paint a picture of pollution. Many schools and businesses across South Asia have installed their own pollution monitors. The US maintains its own air quality instruments at its consulates and embassies in India and Pakistan as well. Schroeder noted, however, that IQAir’s instruments are geared toward monitoring particles like PM2.5 and don’t easily allow a user to make inferences about concentrations of other pollutants like sulfur oxides and where they’re coming from. “When you’re looking at places that have a really big mixture of sources—like you have a mixture of transportation and fires and climate inversion conditions—then it gets to be much murkier and you can’t really sort of pull it apart that way,” Schroeder said. Air quality monitors in India and Pakistan show that air pollution can vary over short distances—between neighborhoods or even street by street—and that it can change rapidly through the day. Nearby bus terminals, power plants, or cooking fires contribute a lot to local pollution, but without tracking systems in the vicinity, it can be hard to realize how bad the situation has become. “I think the most surprising, interesting, and scary thing, honestly, is seeing the levels of pollution in areas that haven’t been monitored before,” Schroeder said. Another complication is that people also experience pollution far away from where it’s produced. “This automatically creates a big governance challenge because the administrator who is responsible for providing you clean air in your jurisdiction is not actually the administrator who is governing over the polluting action,” said Saad Gulzar, an assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. Take crop stubble burning, which accounts for up to 60 percent of the air pollution in the region this time of year. In late fall, farmers in northern India and Pakistan harvest rice and plant wheat. With little time between the reaping and sowing, the fastest and cheapest way for many farmers to clear their fields of leftover stems, leaves, and roots is to burn it. The resulting smoke then wafts from rural areas into urban centers. Motivating officials to act at local, regional, and national levels is a key step in reducing air pollution. The challenge is that farmers and urbanites are different political constituencies, and it’s hard to demand concessions from the former to benefit the latter. It has led to bitter political fights in both countries and between them. Farmers also point out that the reason they have so little time between crops is because of water conservation laws: To cope with groundwater depletion, officials in India imposed regulations to limit rice planting until after monsoon rains arrive in the early summer to top up reservoirs. Delaying planting means delaying harvest, hence the rush to clear their fields. Both India and Pakistan have even gone as far as to arrest farmers who burn crop stubble, but there are millions of farmers spread out over a vast area, stretching enforcement thin. However, local efforts to control smoke from crop burning have proven effective when local officials are motivated to act. Gulzar co-authored a study published in October in the journal Nature, looking at air pollution and its impacts across India and Pakistan. Examining satellite data and health records over the past decade, the paper found that who is in charge of a jurisdiction plays a key role in air pollution—and could also be the key to solving it. When a district is likely to experience pollution from a fire within its own boundaries, bureaucrats and local officials take more aggressive action to mitigate it, whether that’s paying farmers not to burn stubble, providing them with tools to clear fields without fires, or threatening them with fines and arrest. That led fires within a district to drop by 14.5 percent and future burning to decline by 13 percent. These air pollution reductions led to measurable drops in childhood mortality. On the other hand, if the wind is poised to push pollution from crop burning over an adjacent district, fires increase by 15 percent. The results show that simply motivating officials to act at local, regional, and national levels is a key step in reducing air pollution and that progress can begin right away. But further air quality improvements will require a transition toward cleaner energy. Besides crop burning, the other major source of air pollution across India and Pakistan is fossil fuel combustion, whether that’s coal in furnaces, gas in factories, or diesel in trucks. These fuels also contribute to climate change, which is already contributing to devastating heat waves and flooding from torrential monsoons in the region. Both countries have made major investments in renewable energy, but they are also poised to burn more coal to feed their growing economies. At the COP29 climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, India was asking wealthier nations to contribute more money to finance clean energy within its borders and to share technologies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance air quality. Solving the air pollution crisis in India and Pakistan will take years, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. But there are lifesaving measures both countries can take now.

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What to Know About the Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks in South Korea

A last round of negotiations on a legally binding treaty to address the global scourge of plastic pollution has opened in Busan, South Korea

Nations are deciding what actions they'll take National delegations still have a lot to hammer out before there is a treaty. Most contentious is whether there will be a limit on the amount of plastic that companies are allowed to produce. Led by Norway and Rwanda, 66 countries plus the European Union say they want to address the total plastic on Earth by controlling plastic design, production, consumption and what happens at the end of its life. Some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, including Saudi Arabia, vigorously oppose such limits. Global plastics production is set to reach 736 million tons by 2040, up 70% from 2020, without policy changes, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Negotiators must also decide whether the treaty will reduce or eliminate single-use plastics. They'll have to resolve whether to end the use of hazardous chemicals in plastics and whether these steps will be mandated or merely encouraged.Their common objective is to protect human health and the environment.There are some things many countries agree on. They want provisions in a treaty to promote the redesign of plastic products so they can be recycled and reused. They want to invest to better manage plastic waste. They want to increase recycling rates and help waste pickers transition to safer jobs. There is agreement that there needs to be a mechanism to help countries pay for anything required of them. Environmental groups and Indigenous leaders want a holistic approach Graham Forbes, who is leading a Greenpeace delegation in Busan, said his group could support an agreement that puts sensible guardrails in place to reduce the amount of plastic produced, eliminates toxic chemicals and protects people from the uncontrolled use of plastics. That's achievable, but will take political leadership and courage not seen yet in earlier negotiations, he added.Frankie Orona, executive director of the Texas-based Society of Native Nations, said they demand a treaty that tackles the root causes of the crisis rather than just managing plastic waste.“We must seize this moment and leave a legacy we can be proud of, with a non-toxic sustainable future for all children and our children's children," he said. The plastics industry wants to focus on redesign, recycling and reuse Industry leaders want an agreement that prevents plastic pollution by redesigning plastics to be reused, recycled and remade into new products. They say this will keep the materials in circulation and out of the environment. Company executives said they'll support a treaty that recognizes plastics' benefits to society, while ending pollution.“I would hate to miss this opportunity because we get fixated on issues that divide us rather than unite us in this purpose of ultimately addressing the issue of plastic pollution," said Steve Prusak, president and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. "It’s a really critical time. We’re really hopeful that what we get out of the meetings will lead to practical, implementable policies and harmonization across the globe.” The U.N. wants negotiators to reach an agreement in Busan U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen said the treaty talks are a historic opportunity to land an agreement and course-correct, something “entirely within our reach.” “We can sit and wait and negotiate and negotiate and negotiate. But meanwhile our oceans are chockablock with plastic,” she said.The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Pollution
Chemicals
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Biden proposes to restrict pollution from new gas plants

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure. The agency said that the...

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure.  The agency said that the regulation would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as many as  198 tons in 2027 and 2,659 tons in 2032.  However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule is not expected to become final before inauguration day, meaning it would be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to move ahead with it.  The incoming Trump administration has indicated that it hopes to reduce regulations on both the economy as a whole and the power sector in particular. Nevertheless, environmental advocates, who praised the Biden action, said they would push the incoming Trump administration to keep it.  “The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule is an important and long-overdue step towards limiting dangerous smog and soot-forming pollution,” said Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy at the League of Conservation Voters, in a written statement.  “We will continue to press the EPA to improve on these important clean air safeguards and will hold the future Trump administration accountable to the court-ordered deadline to finalize a protective rule in November 2025,” he added.  A 2023 legal agreement between the EPA and environmental groups who sued the agency says the EPA has to either tighten the standards or issue a formal decision not to do so no later than November 12, 2025. 

Pollution
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