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Coal
Published in Peter M. Schwarz, Energy Economics, 2023
More recently, the list of concerning and potentially regulated substances includes mercury, of which the primary source is emissions from coal-burning power plants.13 A major source of current exposure to mercury is through eating fish. There are warnings to pregnant women to avoid species of fish with high absorption rates, as unborn babies are particularly susceptible to damage to the developing brain and nervous system. In 2011, EPA proposed rules for lowering mercury, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down MATS on the grounds that the EPA did not consider costs. In 2016, EPA submitted a study that found benefits exceeded costs, and the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a lower court ruling in favor of the legislation to stand. Coal companies and coal-producing states filed lawsuits. The protracted fight was still going on in 2021. Nevertheless, many utilities have already reduced mercury emissions.
Fuels and the Environment
Published in Michael Frank Hordeski, Alternative Fuels—The Future of Hydrogen, 2020
In December of 2011, the EPA signed the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) regulations. These are emission standards for toxic air pollutants such as arsenic, mercury, and other metals. MATS will require power plants that use coal or oil to meet these standards. Coal provides about 45% of the power used in the U.S., while oil (petroleum) provides only about 1%. Natural gas supplies about 24%, nuclear 20%, and renewables less than 10%.
Technology, Policy, and Market Drivers of (and Barriers to) Advanced Nuclear Reactor Deployment in the United States After 2030
Published in Nuclear Technology, 2019
John Bistline, Revis James, Andrew Sowder
The reference (i.e., business-as-usual) policy scenario provides a counterfactual basis for comparing sensitivity cases to a scenario without changes to the policy landscape. This scenario includes all on-the-book state and federal regulations [e.g., existing state RPSs, federal tax credits, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and California’s AB 32] and fuel prices from AEO 2017. Updated RPSs are included along with federal policies like Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and Clean Water Act, Sec. 316(b). Other state policies include California’s AB 32 and the RGGI for eastern states. The Clean Air Act, Sec. 111(b), CO2 performance standards are included in the analysis but not the Clean Power Plan. Outcomes across the sensitivities are compared with this reference to evaluate changes to the power sector and role of advanced nuclear deployment.