July 7, 2011
On July 6, 2011, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that protects the health of millions of Americans by helping states reduce air pollution and attain clean air standards. This rule, known as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), requires 27 states to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states.
This rule replaces EPA’s 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). A December 2008 court decision kept the requirements of CAIR in place temporarily but directed EPA to issue a new rule to implement Clean Air Act requirements concerning the transport of air pollution across state boundaries. This action responds to the court’s concerns.
To speed implementation, EPA is adopting Federal Implementation Plans, or FIPs, for each of the states covered by this rule. EPA is encouraging states to submit State Implementation Plans (SIPs) starting as early as 2013. The CSAPR takes effect January 1, 2012; CAIR will be implemented through the 2011 compliance periods, and then replaced by the CSAPR.
In the CSAPR, some states have different requirements than they did under CAIR. This table shows those differences. This is not an all-inclusive list of states that are included in the CSAPR
|
Requirements under the Clean Air Interstate Rule |
Requirements under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule |
|||||
|
SO2 |
Annual NOX |
Ozone Season NOX |
SO2 |
Annual NOX |
Ozone Season NOX |
|
|
Connecticut |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Delaware |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
District of Columbia |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Florida |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Georgia |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Iowa |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (proposed) |
|
Kansas |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (proposed) |
|
Louisiana |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Massachusetts |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Michigan |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (proposed) |
|
Minnesota |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Mississippi |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Missouri |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (proposed) |
|
Nebraska |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Oklahoma |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes (proposed) |
|
Texas |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Wisconsin |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (proposed) |
By 2014, power plants in states common to both the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and CAIR will achieve annual SO2 emissions around 1.8 million tons lower and annual NOX emissions around 76,000 tons lower than what would have been achieved at that time under CAIR.
For more information: http://www.epa.gov/crossstaterule/