Bush v. the Clean Air Act

Posted: 03-Apr-2003; Updated: 27-May-2005

Analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency about the success of the Clean Air Act, first signed into law in 1970, has proven it has worked to reduce toxins in our environment. Over the past three decades, carcinogens such as lead and particulate matter (soot) have dropped 98% and 71%, respectively. Emissions of sulfur dioxide, a leading cause of acid rain, are a third of what they were in 1990. Carbon monoxide emissions are down, and the Journal of the American Medical Association attributed a 30-year drop in carbon monoxide-related deaths to the Clean Air Act.

It is a classic case of "If it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it." Yet the Bush administration is doing exactly that, throwing away three decades' worth of environmental success to satisfy special interests whose by-products foul our communities.

The following is a comparison of how current Clean Air Act targets would compare to the relaxed standards being proposed by the administration. As you can see, the next decade would be a much dirtier, more hazardous and unhealthy time if the White House gets its way.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): An Agent of Acid Rain

Mandatory reductions in sulfur dioxide, a key component of acid rain, were factored into 1991 amendments to the Clean Air Act signed by the first President Bush. Their success is indisputable: SO2 emissions in 2001 were reduced one-third from 1990 levels.

To further protect the nation's waterways from the damaging effects of SO2, the EPA has recommended that a 2 million ton cap be placed on annual emissions. But the White House intends to establish an SO2 cap well above 2 million tons, which would result in a total discharge of 21 million tons more SO2 than the Clean Air Act would otherwise allow between 2010-2018.

More Mercury

Mercury is a neurotoxin that, once released, can persist in the environment for years and accumulate in the food chain. Health problems are severe, affecting the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. Power plants (particularly coal-burning generators) are the largest source of mercury releases, which in the U.S. total 48 tons annually.

The EPA is set to announce new standards for mercury in 2004, to go into effect beginning 2007. It has been proposed that a 90 percent reduction of mercury compared to 1999 emissions is attainable. But the Bush administration's "Clear Skies" initiative is actually considering a lesser reduction of 69%. This would allow for a total discharge of 300 tons more mercury between 2007-2018 than would occur if the 90% reduction were made law.

NOx-ious Emissions

National emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) have increased over the past 30 years by about 19 percent. (Power plants are a major contributor, accounting for about one-fifth of the total.) And while other major criteria air pollutants like carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide have decreased since the Clean Air Act was signed into law, NOx emissions have increased by nearly 4 million tons each year.

NOx contributes to a host of environmental and health problems, from smog and acid rain to degraded water quality in coastal estuaries, and cost society billions of dollars annually from illnesses and deaths.

EPA analysis demonstrates the need for a tighter cap on NOx and has determined it would be cost-effective. But the Bush plan would set a NOx cap far higher than the EPA's 1.25 million tons per year standard, resulting in 3.5 million more tons of NOx between 2010 and 2018.

by David Morgan

Links

 EPA Criticized on Mercury Standards - Washington Post article (2/25/03)
 Fact Sheet: Nitrogen Oxides: How NOx Emissions Affect Human Health and the Environment (72Kb pdf)
 Power Plays On - Article on drastic changes to Clean Air Act regulations governing power plant emissions (1/22/03)
  For localized pollution information check out our interactive site Scorecard.org.