Clearing the air: Clear Skies and competing multi-pollutant legislation

摘要

Competing legislation that would require multi-pollutant emission reductions from power plants has been introduced in Congress. The most prominent legislative proposals are the Bush administration's Clear Skies Bill (S2815 and HR 5266) and the Jeffords-Lieber-man Clean Power Act (S556). Both bills seek to reduce SO_2, NO_x, and mercury emissions, and Jeffords-Lieberman also seeks reductions in CO_2 emissions. However, the extent of the reductions, the way emission allowances are determined and traded, and the provisions for future implementation of existing regulatory programs differ greatly between the bills. At this point, it is far from certain that either bill will become law. However, it does seem likely that some form of multi-pollutant legislation will be enacted within the next few years, and the legislation that eventually emerges may represent a compromise between the bills that have been proposed. This article compares the most important features of the competing multi-pollutant bills and discusses their potential impacts on the power industry.