EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck is touting the potential for the agency's proposed climate rule for existing utilities to also cut power plant conventional air pollution that contributes to acid rain, which may boost states' ongoing efforts to curb acid rain deposition as EPA weighs how best to proceed with rules on acid rain deposition. According to talking points at a recent acid rain conference in Saratoga Springs, NY, Enck cited academics' research from earlier this year showing that the agency's existing source performance standards (ESPS) climate rule will have co-benefits in helping cut emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and mercury that lead to acid rain formation and other harms. Relevant documents are available on InsideEPA.com. Seepage 2 for details. EPA launched an acid rain program in the 1990s to cut the three pollutants from power plants, and Enck talked about the successes of that program in Region 2 while noting there is "still more to do" on reducing acid rain. The region includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight of New York's Indian nations.
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