Public Response to Final Utility MACT Rule

Industry representatives and lawmakers say the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)/Utility MACT rule will force power plant shutdowns and raise electric rates, while health and environmental advocates hail the regulation as a long-overdue victory. GLLF provides a summary of the biggest stories from the Wisconsin and national media.

In Wisconsin

EPA tells nation's dirty power plants to clean up, AP in Wisconsin State Journal, December 21, 2011: “Clean up or shut down.”

Dairyland, Xcel prepared for mercury rules, LaCrosse Tribune, December 22, 2011: Dairyland and Xcel already have some controls are already in place.

EPA Sets Power Plant Mercury Standards, Ashland Current, December 21, 2011: Reaction from Wisconsin environmental groups and Senator Johnson.

EPA tells dirty power plants to reduce emissions or shut down, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, December 21, 2011: “Wisconsin utilities are in the midst of plans to comply with a variety of tighter environmental rules, with We Energies in Milwaukee and Wisconsin Power & Light Co. of Madison moving forward with plans to add environmental controls at power plants in Oak Creek, Portage and Sheboygan. In addition, We Energies has cited environmental rules as a reason it is considering the shutdown of its Upper Peninsula coal-fired power plant, located in Marquette, Mich.”

EPA cracks down on pollution from power plants, Sheboygan Press, December 21, 2011: Rule impacts Edgewater plant.

Johnson Opposes Utility MACT Rule, Press Release from Senator Johnson, December 21, 2011: “I strongly oppose the latest job-killing regulation announced by the White House – the Utility MACT rule. It will drive up electricity rates for all consumers, and increase the cost of any products that depend on electricity – which is just about everything.”

EPA Issues $9.6 Billion Utility MACT Regulations, Great Lakes Legal Foundation, December 21, 2011: Summary of the rule, its history, and potential impacts.

Nationally

President Obama’s Video Statement, White House, December 21, 2011: Calls the rule a “bold step.”

EPA Finalizes Rule to Reduce Mercury, Air Toxics Emissions From Power Plants, BNA, December 22, 2011: Analysis of changes from the proposed rule and the projected impacts.

The Meaning of Mercury, New York Times Editorial by Paul Krugman, December 22, 2011: Special interests delayed mercury and would have continued to do so if Obama was not President.

E.P.A. Issues Limits on Mercury Emissions, New York Times Green Blog, December 21, 2011: Rule likely to be challenged in Congress and the courts.

Environmental Protection Agency Issues New Regulation on Mercury, Washington Post, December 21, 2011: Reaction from industry and environmentalists. Rule is important to EPA Administrator Jackson, whose son has asthma.

EPA Sets Cuts in Plant Emissions, Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2011: Rule “is likely to help reshape the industry as companies turn off old plants and decide whether to clean up existing ones or switch to cleaner-burning fuels such as natural gas.”

Lisa Jackson's Power Play, Wall Street Journal Editorial, December 22, 2011: “The rule may be the most expensive the agency has ever issued, and it represents the triumph of the Obama Administration's green agenda over economic growth and job creation.”

Hundreds of Power Plants Faced with Tough New Mercury Rules, Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2011: National rule will build on progress made by states.

Here’s What They’re Saying About Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, EPA Press Release, December 21, 2011

They’re Still Talking About Historic Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, EPA Press Release, December 22, 2011

Additional information about the proposed rule is available on the Great Lakes Legal Foundation webpage Utility MACT/Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for Power Plants.

This post was authored by GLLF staff attorney Emily Kelchen.