JEFFORDS MOVES CLEAN POWER ACT

OUT OF COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords, I - Vt., to significantly reduce pollution from electric power plants today passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on a 10 to 9 vote. "The Clean Power Act," authored by Jeffords in 2001, requires electric power plants to reduce their emissions of nitrogen oxides by 83 percent, sulfur dioxide by 83 percent, mercury by 90 percent and carbon dioxide by 23 percent from today's levels by 2008.

"Today's action sends a clear message to this Administration that the Senate is willing to engage on clean air and climate change. My bill protects public and environmental health by making swift and deep reductions in pollution from power plants. Everyday that goes by without such action, more people get sick, more forests are damaged, and more degrees of global warming are added."

The bill will:

Reduce Power Plant Emissions, which cause Smog, Acid Rain, Respiratory Disease, Mercury Contamination and Global Warming. Electric generating power plants are our nation's single largest source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They are responsible for emitting 6 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), 13 million tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), over 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), and 52 tons of mercury (Hg). The NO_x, SO₂, and mercury reductions are set at levels that can be achieved with available technology, and CO2 reducing technology is on the verge of commercial appilication.

Eliminate of Grandfather Exemption for Outdated Power Plants. The Clean Power Act, as amended by the Committee, will require every power plant to meet the most recent pollution control standards for new pollution sources. Many of the most polluting power plants still in use today were exempted from original Clean Air Act requirements enacted more than 30 years ago. They can emit between 10 and 100 times the amount of NO_x and SO_x pollution emitted by a modern power plant. The new standards must be met either on the power plant's 40th birthday, or 2013, whichever is later.

Allow Market Mechanisms to Control Emissions. The Clean Power Act will allow power plants to use market-oriented mechanisms, such as emissions trading based on generation performance standards, auctions, or other allocation methods, in order to comply with its emissions reduction requirements. It also sets annual emissions caps for four pollutants that apply beginning in 2008: SOx - 275,000 tons in western region

- 1,975,000 tons in eastern region

NOx - 1,510,000 tons

CO2 - 2,050,000,000 tons

Mercury - 5 tons

Allow Creation and Trading - Allowances are created representing each of the caps= tons and may be traded, except for mercury. They will have unique serial numbers to identify them. Trading in emission allowances with other sectors is prohibited, excepts if the allowances are for carbon dioxide and are created by a cap on another non-electricity sector.

Ensure Safe Disposal of Captured Mercury. The Clean Power Act will address the proper disposal of mercury that is captured in the power plant pollution control process. This will ensure that mercury removed by installing pollution control technologies will not re-enter the environment.

- 30 -