CAIR Reduces Alabama’s Emissions
- By 2015, CAIR will help Alabama sources reduce emissions
of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 204,000 tons or 44 percent.
SO2 Emissions (thousand tons) |
2003 |
2010 |
2015 |
Alabama SO2 emissions without CAIR |
459 |
478 |
405 |
Alabama SO2 emissions with CAIR |
N/A |
321 |
255 |
- By 2015, CAIR will help Alabama sources reduce emissions of nitrogen
oxides (NOx) by 106,000 tons or 68 percent.
NOx Emissions (thousand tons) |
2003 |
2009 |
2015 |
Alabama NOx emissions without
CAIR |
155 |
132 |
134 |
Alabama NOx emissions with CAIR |
N/A |
64 |
49 |
CAIR Helps Alabama and its Neighbors
- Because air emissions travel across state boundaries,
reducing the emissions from sources in Alabama also will reduce
fine particle pollution and ground-level ozone pollution in other
areas of the country.
- Currently, Alabama sources significantly contribute to
fine particle pollution in the following 7 states:
Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, North
Carolina & Kentucky
- Alabama sources also significantly contribute to ground-level
ozone pollution in the following 2 states:
Georgia & Texas
- Alabama’s fine particle air quality will improve
because of reductions of SO2 and NOx in:
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina & Tennessee
CAIR Makes Alabama’s Air Cleaner
- CAIR helps Alabama meet and maintain the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and fine particle
pollution.
- SO2 and NOx contribute to the formation of fine particles (PM),
and NOx contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone.
- Areas meeting the NAAQS are in attainment. Those areas not meeting
the standards are known as “nonattainment areas.”
Fine Particle Pollution
- Alabama has four counties that were designated
nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for fine
particle pollution.
- CAIR will help bring one of those counties into attainment
by 2015:
1. Jackson County (P) Chattanooga, TN-GA Area
- CAIR will significantly reduce PM levels in the three remaining
non-attainment counties:
1. Jefferson County Birmingham, AL Area
2. Shelby County Birmingham, AL Area
3. Walker County (P) Birmingham, AL Area
Ground-level Ozone
- At the end of 2004, Alabama had two countiesthat were designated
nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for ground-level
ozone pollution.
- Existing Clean Air Act programs will bring these areas into attainment
by 2010:
1. Jefferson County Birmingham, AL Area
2. Shelby County Birmingham, AL Area
CAIR is Smart for Alabama’s Economy
- CAIR helps maintain coal as a viable fuel/energy source,
keeping jobs in Alabama.
- Regional electricity prices are not significantly impacted by CAIR,
and are projected to be below 2000 levels.
Average Retail Electricity
Prices (AREP) in 1999 dollars |
2000 |
2010 |
2015 |
Alabama’s AREP without CAIR (mills/kWh*) |
59.3 |
56.2 |
55.1 |
Alabama’s AREP with CAIR (mills/kWh*) |
N/A |
57.0 |
56.2 |
*mill = 1/10 of a cent |
Notes:
1) Partial counties are identified by (P) following the county
name.
2) Projections concerning future levels of air pollution in specific
geographic locations were estimated using the best scientific models
available. They are estimations, however, and should be characterized
as such in any description. Actual results may vary significantly
if any of the factors that influence air quality differ from the
assumed values used in the projections shown here.
3) Small emission increases can occur in a state under CAIR where
shifts in power generation occur, but overall improvements occur
throughout the CAIR region. The Final CAIR includes a compliance
supplement pool of NOx allowances (roughly 200,000 allowances)
for the annual program, which could lead to slightly higher annual
NOx emissions than are stated here.
4) The data presented here is based on recently completed, revised Integrated Planning Modeling (IPM), reflecting CAIR as finalized. This recent data may
differ slightly from modeling results in the Final CAIR Federal
Register Notice and Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) which were based on modeling that was completed
before EPA had determined the final scope of CAIR. The primary
difference in the earlier modeling included AR, DE, and NJ in the
annual SO2/NOx requirements, and did not include an ozone season
cap on any states.
5) Emissions reductions take into account state and federal pollution
control programs in place when EPA last updated its models in mid-2004.
Reductions from more recent state programs or settlement actions
are not reflected in these tables.
6) Retail electricity prices are by North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) region.
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