Dems Move Fast To Replace Vacated CAMR With New Federal Legislation

Senator Tom Carper (D) Delaware plans to introduce a bill that would force the EPA to act quickly to adopt a Rule that would reduce mercury emissions from all EGUs by a factor of 90% by 2010. The bill called the "Electric Utility Steam Generating Unit Emission Control Act", or EUSGUECA for short, sort of, claims it could save the US $5.2 billion per year in health care costs related to the toxin. The bill also claims to accomplish this using existing technology at a cost of only $3.00/kilowatt hour. An excerpt from Environment & Energy Daily (Subscription req'd) follows;

Carper's legislation would require U.S. EPA to write a rule aimed at a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2010, using available technology like activated carbon injection and fabric filters. By contrast, EPA said the rule struck down by the court would have achieved a 70 percent reduction in mercury emissions by 2018.

Ramped up reductions with a ramped up time-line is exactly why environmentalists applauded the DC Appellate Court's decision the other day. While EPA claimed the court ruling left the country with no mercury rule, the swift call to action to replace the CAMR with legislation consistent with the Clean Air Act should quell any concerns.