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Dec 8, 2006
Fact Sheet - State Plan Notice of Findings and Submissions
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ACTION
- On December 8, 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a finding of which states have and have not submitted state plans to reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by the deadline specified by the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR). Specifically, EPA is making a finding that 21 states have submitted plans as of the November 17, 2006, deadline.
- States submitting plans by the November 17 deadline: Alabama; Arizona; Connecticut; Delaware; Idaho; Illinois; Iowa; Louisiana; Massachusetts; Montana; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Dakota; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Texas; Vermont; and West Virginia.
- EPA will be working with its Regional offices to evaluate whether the plans that have been submitted are approvable.
- There are no sanctions for states that did not submit a plan by the November 17 deadline.
- EPA prefers that states make the required emission reductions through a mechanism of their choosing. Therefore, EPA encourages states to continue developing approvable state plans.
BACKGROUND
- The U.S. is the first nation in the world to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. EPA finalized CAMR on March 15, 2005. CAMR requires states to submit plans that together will cap nation-wide mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants at a level of 38 tons in 2010 and 15 tons in 2018. Those state plans were due to EPA by November 17, 2006.
- EPA has been working with states as they develop their plans. Twenty one states have submitted plans by the deadline while almost all of the remaining states have significant, ongoing efforts to develop their mercury plans.
- Some states have determined that it would be a better use of state resources to allow EPA to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. As required by regulation, EPA is proposing a federal plan under a separate action.
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