1. Air Quality: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
JONATHAN M. MOCH/HARVARD SEAS

2. Talk Outline Introduction The Clean Air Act and standards setting
Particulate Matter (PM)
Ozone
Mercury
Methane

3. WHO Statistics

4. Historical Air Pollution
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

5. The Clean Air Act
Regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources
Authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants
Directs the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the state, in order to achieve these standards

6. NAAQS Table

7. What is PM?
Particulate matter (PM), also known as particle pollution, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets that get into the air. 
epa.gov

9. Health Effects of Air Pollution

10. https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2018/#growth_w_cleaner_air
Annual emissions estimates are used as one indicator of the effectiveness of epahttps:// programs. The graph below shows that between 1980 and 2017, gross domestic product increased 165 percent, vehicle miles traveled increased 110 percent, energy consumption increased 25 percent, and U.S. population grew by 44 percent. During the same time period, total emissions of the six principal air pollutants dropped by 67 percent. The graph also shows that between 1980 and 2016, CO2 emissions increased by 12 percent.

11. https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2018/#highlights

12. https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2018/#unhealthy_aq_days

13. Air Quality – National Summary
1 in 3 live in counties with one or more criteria pollutants above the level of the NAAQs

14. These data are collected
at outdoor monitors

15. What is Ozone?
epa.gov

16. EPA Strengthens Ozone Standards to Protect Public Health/Science-based standards to reduce sick days, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, greatly outweigh costs
10/01/2015
Contact Information: Enesta
En espaol: Lina

18. Today’s Air Quality

19. Mercury – A Case Study 1950s - mercury as a water pollutant!
Wikipedia
1950s - mercury as a water pollutant!

20. Minamata Disease NATIONAL
Minamata disease victims’ voices dim with age but still cry for recognition
BY MINAMI FUNAKOSHI AND KYUNG HOON KIM
REUTERS
pubs.usgs.gov
Minamata disease municipal museum
Minamata Disease Municipal Museum

21. 1980s - mercury as an air pollutant!

22. The Clean Air Act - Highlights of the 1990 Amendments
On November 15, 1990 the Clean Air Act was revised with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. Specifically the amendments were designed to curb four major threats to the environment and to the health of millions of Americans: acid rain, urban air pollution, toxic air emissions, and stratospheric ozone depletion. The amendments also established a national operating permits program to make the law more workable, and strengthened enforcement to help ensure better compliance with the Act.
Coal- and oil-fired electricity generating units were the largest remaining source of mercury emissions to the air!
In Dec 2000 the agency announced that it was
appropriate and necessary to regulate coal and oil-fired EGUs under the Clean Air Act

24. Mercury and Air Toxics Rule
Issued Dec 2011
Annual cost $9.6 billion per year!

26. Legal Challenges to the MATS Rule
The decision, Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency, No , does not strike down the rule, but it means the E.P.A. will have to review and rewrite it, taking costs into consideration.

27. Response to the Supreme Court Findings
Consideration of Cost in the Appropriate and Necessary Finding for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants
Final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for Power Plants
Final Action(34 pp, 511 K, About PDF) - Federal Register - April 25, 2016
Annual cost of compliance is 2.7 to 3.5% of annual electricity sales
Annual compliance expenditures represent between 3.0 and 5.9% of total annual
power sector capital expenditures over a 10-year period
Projected impact on electricity rates an increase of 0.3 cents per kWh
Any retirements from MATs would not impact the ability of the power sector to
meet electricity demand

28. Roll Back of MATS Rule
E.P.A. to Reconsider Obama-Era Curbs on Mercury Emissions by Power Plants
August ‘18
Trump Administration Prepares a Major Weakening of Mercury Emissions Rules
Sept ‘18
nyt.com
Original rule reducing mercury emissions will bring up to $6 million annually in health benefits,
co-benefits of $80 billion from additional reduction in soot and nitrogen oxide as a side effect.
New proposal by the present EPA would likely no longer take these into account those
“co-benefits” when considering economic impact!

29.
We believe a complete and robust residual risk and technology review will recognize the
capital investments already made for compliance and will allow the industry to continue
full implementation of the MATS rule which was completed in April 2016!

30. U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

32. Roll Back of Methane Rules
September ‘18

33. Roll Back of Methane Rules
Applies to oil and gas operations on federal lands
Increases the time allowed for inspections of drilling equipment and repair work for any leaks
State methane standards can be followed instead of federal (Texas has a lower standard)
EPA administration estimates that these changes will save the industry ~$500 million by 2025.
California and New Mexico file a lawsuit