EPA Emission Standards Rule
Floor Speech
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, on December 21, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, finalized the mercury and air toxics standards, MATS, rule for powerplants. These standards, which will be fully in effect in 2016, will require coal-fired powerplants to install pollution controls for mercury and toxic air pollution. When fully implemented, the MATS for powerplants will reduce mercury emissions from powerplants by 90 percent, acid gases by 88 percent, and particulate emissions, including nonmercury toxic metals, by 41 percent. Senator Inhofe's S.J. Res. 37 would disapprove and nullify this rule and, more importantly, make it impossible for the EPA to implement substantially similar rules in the future.
The State of Maine, located at the end of our Nation's ``air pollution tailpipe,'' is on the receiving end of pollution emissions from coal-fired powerplants operating in other States. The pollution reductions required under the rule will improve public health and improve the environment in our State. That is why I will vote to uphold the clean air rule that requires coal-fired powerplants to install pollution controls.
While legitimate concerns have been raised that additional compliance time and more cost-effective options are needed, I have significant concerns with overturning this rule and permanently barring the EPA from issuing any standards in the future that are substantially similar. I will push the EPA to work with utilities to develop reasonable implementation schedules.
Reductions in air pollutants from other States will reduce air pollution in Maine, which has one of the highest asthma rates in the Nation, affecting 1 in 10 adults and over 25,000 children. The EPA estimates that the MATS will prevent 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms.
Every State in the country has issued mercury advisories for human fish consumption because of high levels of mercury in our Nation's streams, lakes, and rivers, and half of U.S. manmade mercury comes from coal-fired powerplants. Mercury is one of the most persistent and dangerous pollutants, particularly harmful to children and pregnant women, and it threatens our health and environment today. Under the new rule, 90 percent of this mercury would be removed. I am a longtime supporter of efforts to reduce mercury pollution and have sponsored legislation to establish a nationwide mercury monitoring system to accurately measure mercury levels.
The rule also includes standards for 186 other hazardous pollutants, including arsenic, acid gases, and toxic metals. Additionally, the equipment installed to control these pollutants will not only reduce these hazardous air pollutants but also capture fine particles, which are linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
I am a longtime supporter of Clean Air Act protections. This landmark legislation, authored by Maine's own Senator Ed Muskie more than 40 years ago, has helped protect and improve our Nation's air quality and public health for decades.
I also support sensible regulatory reforms and have introduced legislation that calls for Federal agencies to analyze the cost and benefits of proposed regulations, including the impact on job creation and consumer prices. This will help cut the tangle of redtape that is holding businesses back from expanding and adding jobs. But when it comes to the air we breathe, I reject the false choice of pitting the environment against the economy because we understand that for much of the State of Maine, the environment is the economy.
The people of Maine have always been faithful stewards of our environment because we understand its tremendous value to our way of life. Maine's unique forests, landscapes, waters, and wildlife are an important part of our heritage and have helped shape the economic, environmental, and recreational character of our entire State. Protecting our Nation's air quality will positively benefit the natural beauty of Maine and will improve public health, protecting our children and enriching lives.
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