Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants: An evaluation of reduction strategies using the analytic hierarchy process.

摘要

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently developing mercury emission regulations for the electric utility sector. As is the case with most environmental policy decisions, this is a complex undertaking. This research project evaluates a range of mercury emission reduction strategies from a multi-objective perspective.; In-depth interviews and surveys were administered with representatives of the three key stakeholder groups associated with this policy decision to determine their strategy preferences and desired evaluation criteria. This provided the inputs to a multi-criteria decision analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The analysis revealed significant differences among the stakeholder groups with respect to how they perceived the alternative reduction strategies and the importance they placed on the various evaluation criteria. The study revealed that certain reduction strategies could be eliminated from the current strategy debate because they are not preferred by any of the three stakeholder groups. In addition, a strategy regulating multiple pollutant emissions at one time appears to hold the greatest promise for achieving stakeholder consensus. It is also recommended that the EPA employ a collaborative problem solving approach involving the key stakeholders to further the policy debate and build consensus.