In Major Rebuke To Epa, State Forces First-time Bact Review For Pm2.5

摘要

In a likely far-reaching decision, a Montana appeals board is forcing the state to redo a best available control technology (BACT) analysis for a proposed coal-fired power plant to include first-time reviews of fine particulate matter emissions (PM2.5), sending a strong rebuke to EPA's long-running argument that BACT analyses can use larger coarse particles (PM10) as a surrogate for PM2.5-which critics say results in weaker emission controls. Environmentalists say the April 21 decision has implications similar to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's recent rejection of EPA's mercury rule for power plants, which has prompted many states to redo permit analyses to assess mercury controls. Activists also say that because the health effects of PM2.5 are more substantial than PM10, the new BACT review in Montana will force far more expensive pollution controls than is required for coarse particles.