North Carolina

CAIR Reduces North Carolina’s Emissions

• By 2015, CAIR will help North Carolina sources reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) by 324,000 tons or 70 percent.

• By 2015, CAIR will help North Carolina sources reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) by 84,000 tons or 63 percent.

CAIR Helps North Carolina and its Neighbors

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

• Currently, North Carolina sources significantly contribute to fine particle pollution in the District of Columbia and 5 other states including:
      Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, West Virginia & Tennessee

• Currently, North Carolina sources also significantly contribute to ground-level ozone pollution in 5 other states including:
      Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, New York & Pennsylvania

• North Carolina’s fine particle air quality will improve because of reductions of SO₂ and NO_x in:
      Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia & West Virginia

CAIR Makes North Carolina’s Air Cleaner

• CAIR helps North Carolina 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, 3 North Carolina 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. Davidson County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      2. Guilford County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      3. Catawba County Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC Area

    Ground-level Ozone

• At the end of 2004, 32 North Carolina counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for 8-hour ozone pollution.

• Existing Clean Air Act Programs will bring all of these counties into attainment by 2010.
      1. Cabarrus County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      2. Gaston County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      3. Iredell County (P) Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      4. Lincoln County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      5. Mecklenburg County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      6. Rowan County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      7. Union County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      8. Cumberland County Fayetteville, NC Area
      9. Alamance County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      10. Caswell County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      11. Davidson County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      12. Davie County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      13. Forsyth County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      14. Guilford County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      15. Randolph County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      16. Rockingham County Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Area
      17. Haywood County (P) Haywood & Swain Cos. (Grt. Smokey Natl Park), NC Area
      18. Swain County (P) Haywood & Swain Cos. (Grt. Smokey Natl Park), NC Area
      19. Alexander County Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC Area
      20. Burke County(P) Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC Area
      21. Caldwell County(P) Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC Area
      22. Catawba County Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC Area
      23. Chatham County(P) Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      24. Durham County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      25. Franklin County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      26. Granville County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      27. Johnston County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      28. Orange County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      29. Person County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      30. Wake County Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Area
      31. Edgecomb County Rocky Mount, NC Area
      32. Nash County Rocky Mount, NC Area

CAIR is Smart for North Carolina’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.

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.