Maryland

CAIR Reduces Maryland’s Emissions

• By 2015, CAIR will help Maryland sources reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) by 245,000 tons or 91 percent.

• By 2015, CAIR will help Maryland sources reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) by 56,000 tons or 82 percent from 2003 levels.

CAIR Helps Maryland and its Neighbors

• Because air emissions travel across state boundaries, reducing the emissions from sources in Maryland also will reduce fine particle pollution and ground-level ozone pollution in other areas of the country.

• Currently, Maryland sources significantly contribute to fine particle pollution in 5 other states:
      West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware & New York

• Maryland sources also significantly contribute to ground-level ozone pollution in 6 other states and the District of Columbia:
      Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York & Delaware

• Maryland’s fine particle air quality will improve because of reductions of SO₂ and NO_x in:
      North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia & West Virginia

• Maryland’s ground-level ozone air quality will improve because of reductions of NO_x in:
      North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia & West Virginia

CAIR Makes Maryland’s Air Cleaner

• CAIR helps Maryland meet and maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution.

• SO₂ and NO_x contribute to the formation of fine particles (PM), and NO_x 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, 11 Maryland counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for fine particle pollution.

• CAIR will help bring all of these counties into attainment for fine particles by 2010:
      1. Anne Arundel County Baltimore, MD Area
      2. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Area
      3. Baltimore City Baltimore, MD Area
      4. Carroll County Baltimore, MD Area
      5. Harford County Baltimore, MD Area
      6. Howard County Baltimore, MD Area
      7. Washington County Martinsburg-Hagerstown, MD-WV Area
      8. Charles County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      9. Frederick County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      10. Montgomery County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      11. Prince George’s County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area

    Ground-level Ozone

• At the end of 2004, 15 Maryland counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for ground-level ozone pollution.

• Existing Clean Air Act Programs will bring one of these counties into attainment by 2010:
      1. Washington County Washington Co. (Hagerstown), MD Area

• Existing Clean Air Act Programs will help bring 7 more of those counties into attainment by 2015:
      1. Kent County Kent and Queen Anne’s Cos, MD Area
      2. Queen Anne’s County Kent and Queen Anne’s Cos, MD Area
      3. Calvert County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      4. Charles County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      5. Frederick County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      6. Montgomery County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area
      7. Prince George’s County Washington, DC-MD-VA Area

• CAIR will further reduce ground-level ozone pollution in the remaining 8 counties:
      1. Anne Arundel County Baltimore, MD Area
      2. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Area
      3. Baltimore City Baltimore, MD Area
      4. Carroll County Baltimore, MD Area
      5. Harford County Baltimore, MD Area
      6. Howard County Baltimore, MD Area
      7. Cecil County Philadelphia-Wilmington, Atlantic City, PA-DE-MD-NJ Area

CAIR is Smart for Maryland’s Economy

• CAIR helps maintain coal as a viable fuel/energy source, keeping jobs in Maryland.

• Regional electricity prices are not significantly impacted by CAIR, and are projected to be below 2000 levels.

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 NO_x allowances (roughly 200,000 allowances) for the annual program, which could lead to slightly higher annual NO_x 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/NO_x 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.