South Carolina

CAIR Reduces South Carolina’s Emissions

• By 2015, CAIR will help South Carolina sources reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) by 100,000 tons or 49 percent.

• By 2015, CAIR will help South Carolina sources reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) by 41,000 tons or 53 percent.

CAIR Helps South Carolina and its Neighbors

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

• Currently, South Carolina sources significantly contribute to fine particle pollution in 3 other states including:
      Georgia, Alabama & North Carolina

• Currently, South Carolina sources also significantly contribute to ground-level ozone pollution in:
      Georgia

CAIR Makes South Carolina’s Air Cleaner

• CAIR helps South 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, no South Carolina counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for fine particle pollution (PM).

    Ground-level Ozone

• At the end of 2004, 6 South 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. York (P) County Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Area
      2. Lexington (P) County Columbia, SC Area
      3. Richland (P) County Columbia, SC Area
      4. Anderson County Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Area
      5. Greenville County Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Area
      6. Spartanburg County Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Area

CAIR is Smart for South 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.