New EPA Plant Rules

New EPA Plant Rules

Keep in mind: they will increase generating efficiency; they will not be allowed to surpass CURRENT pollution level controls; and this will encourage investment and upgrading in our powerplants and factories. Of COURSE it's a bad idea! (/sarcasm) Read on.FOXNews.com

WASHINGTON — Thousands of older power plants, refineries and factories have been exempted from having to install costly clean air controls when they update equipment to improve efficiency, the Bush administration announced Wednesday.
A new rule adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (search) is intended to encourage modernization. But environmentalists say it constitutes a major revision to clean air rules that will contribute to pollution.

The EPA will allow up to 20 percent of the costs of replacing each plant's production system to be considered 'routine maintenance' that doesn't require costly anti-pollution controls. Under prior rules, any significant changes to equipment required the addition of costly new pollution-fighting devices.

Environmental groups opposed to the rule describe the changes as disastrous for people's health, especially those living near or downwind of some 17,000 industrial plants affected.
They contend that emissions will increase as a result of the rules, which will enable modernized plants to spew out millions of tons of additional pollution.

'It's an accounting gimmick that eliminates any possibility of pollution controls,' said John Walke, director of Natural Resources Defense Council's (search) clean air program. 'It's a total disaster. It's the effective repeal of this clean air program, through illegal administrative means.'

The EPA assistant administrator in charge of air quality said that while industries can now complete upgrades without additional pollution restrictions, they still must operate within a plant's overall permitted limits and other state and federal programs for pollutants.
'We can say categorically that pollution will not increase as a result of this rule,' Jeffrey Holmstead said.