Reduced Scope Of EPA's CSAPR 'Update' Rule Lowers Costs & Benefits

摘要

EPA has issued a final version of its Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) emissions trading rule "update" that reduces the scope of the regulation compared to the proposed version, leading to fewer projected cuts in ozone-forming air pollution that will lower the overall expected costs of the rule and also reduce the likely health benefits. The rule, released Sept. 7 ahead of its publication in the Federal Register, also drops a plan to add North Carolina to the states regulated by CSAPR's cap-and-trade program. That decision is a major win for the state, which had opposed its suggested inclusion in the program, and could weaken ongoing attempts by Eastern states to expand the scope of the trading rule. Relevant documents are available on InsideEPA.com. (Doc. ID: 194464) As a result of the decision to reduce the scope of the update, EPA estimates that the health benefits of the final rule will be up to $880 million in 2017, in 2011 dollars, compared to $1.2 billion in the proposal released in 2015. Costs are now expected to be $68 million, which is lower than the proposal's projected $96 million.