On 4-29-14, the SCOTUS voted to uphold an EPA rule to limit power plant pollution. Image: Shutterstock |
The rule had been contested by upwind and industrial states
that were producing more smokestack pollution than the rule allowed for. They
asserted that the rule was just the next step in trying to strong-arm out
coal-fired power plants, which are notorious for their pollution levels.
Gina McCarthy, EPA Adminsitrator, said the ruling by the
Supreme Court was “a resounding victory for public health and a key component
of EPA’s efforts to make sure all Americans have clean air to breathe.”
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are two of the most common
pollutants let off by power plants and can travel long distances, mixing with
other substances along the way. This often results in what is commonly known as
“smog” or soot, and because the pollutants follow wind patterns, cities plagued
with this smog often have no ability to reduce it.
“The Supreme Court today laid rest to the well-worn issue of
how to regulate air pollution that is transported hundreds of miles throughout
the eastern U.S. and that makes it nearly impossible for states acting along to
protect the health and welfare of their citizens,” said Bill Becker of the
National Association of Clean Air Agencies. The EPA estimates that the ruling
will prevent more than 30,000 premature deaths and result in hundreds of
billions of dollars in health care savings.
Of course, not everyone is happy about the ruling. Power plants
affected by the rule will have to spend $800 million annually in 2014 to comply
with the standards, according to the EPA’s own estimates.
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