The EPA plans to issue the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants by December 16, 2011. The EPA has opposed a motion from the Utility Air Regulatory Group seeking a one-year delay of MATS. The EPA says that it has received almost a million comments and the EPA and the litigants have agreed to a 30-day extension to finalize these rules.
The objective of MATS for power plants is to limit mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from power plants, and specificlly to prevent 91 percent of the mercury in coal from being released to the atmosphere. Particle pollution will also be reduced. According to the EPA toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants cause serious health impacts. Mercury can harm children’s developing brains, including effects on memory, attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills. Other toxic metals such as arsenic, chromium and nickel can cause cancer. Mercury and many of the other toxic pollutants also damage the environment and pollute our nation’s lakes, streams, and fish. Currently there are no national limits on the amount of mercury and other toxic air pollution released from power plants.
You can see here where the power plants are in your neighbourhood that could be affected by MATS.
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