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Clean Air Markets

Delaware

CAIR Reduces Delaware's Emissions

  • By 2015, CAIR will help Delaware sources reduce annual emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 3,000 tons or 30 percent from 2003 levels.
NOx Emissions (thousand tons) 2003 2009 2015
Delaware NOx emissions without CAIR 10 9 11
Delaware NOx emissions with CAIR N/A 5 7
  • By 2015, CAIR will help Delaware sources reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 19,000 tons or 51 percent.
SO2 Emissions (thousand tons) 2003 2009 2015
Delaware SO2 emissions without CAIR 37 40 45
Delaware SO2 emissions with CAIR N/A 28 18

CAIR Helps Delaware and its Neighbors

  • Because air emissions travel across state boundaries, reducing the emissions from sources in Delaware also will reduce ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution in other areas of the country.
  • Currently, Delaware sources significantly contribute to ground-level ozone in:
        Pennsylvania, New Jersey & New York
  • Currently, Delaware sources significantly contribute to fine particle pollution in:
        New York
  • Delaware’s fine particle air quality will improve because of reductions of SO2 and NOx in:
        Maryland and the District of Columbia, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia & West Virginia
  • Delaware’s ground-level ozone air quality will improve because of reductions of NOx in:
        Maryland and the District of Columbia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia & West Virginia

CAIR Makes Delaware’s Air Cleaner

  • CAIR helps Delaware 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

    • At the end of 2004, one Delaware county was designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for fine particle pollution.
    • CAIR will help bring that county into attainment for fine particles by 2015:
          1. New Castle County Philadelphia-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE

    Ground-level Ozone

    • At the end of 2004, three Delaware counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for ground-level ozone pollution.
    • CAIR will help to reduce ozone pollution in those counties:
          1. Kent County Philadelphia-Wilmington, Atlantic City, PA-DE-MD-NJ Area
          2. New Castle County Philadelphia-Wilmington, Atlantic City, PA-DE-MD-NJ Area
          3. Sussex County Philadelphia-Wilmington, Atlantic City, PA-DE-MD-NJ Area

CAIR is Smart for Delaware’s Economy

  • CAIR helps maintain coal as a viable fuel/energy source.
  • 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
Delaware’s AREP without CAIR (mills/kWh*) 80.4 59.3 69.4
Delaware’s AREP with CAIR (mills/kWh*) N/A 61.3 72.0
    *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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