Rising power plant emissions will once again leave New Yorkers holding their breath. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data reveal that emissions from New York’s 21 dirtiest power plants are on the rise, further fueling the need to require New York’s old dirty power plants to reduce their emissions by meeting new plant emission standards.

When the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970 and amended in 1977, the nation’s older power plants were exempted from the new air emission regulations. As a result of this lethal loophole, most of New York’s power plants are allowed to emit thousands and thousands more tons of pollution than new plants. This excess pollution contributes to some of our most serious health and environmental problems including asthma, acid rain and global warming.

If Governor George Pataki demonstrates leadership by directing the State Department of Environmental Conservation to promulgate regulations requiring New York State’s power plants to meet new coal plant standards, he can lead the way toward the necessary national solution to power plant pollution.

According to data just published by the EPA, the 21 dirtiest power plants in New York increased their emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 21% (53,444 tons) from 1997 to 1998. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) rose 12% (8,667 tons), and carbon dioxide (CO2) rose over 16% (more than 6,000,000 tons) over the same time period (See Table 1).

According to the November 1998 report, New York’s Dirty Secret: The Power Plant Pollution Loophole, by Environmental Advocates, NYPIRG Fund, and Pace Energy Project, New York’s 21 dirtiest power plants emitted over 36,000 more tons of NOx in 1997 than they would have if they all met new coal plant standards. Due to existing and soon to be proposed regulations, New York State has begun the process of reducing NOx emissions from significant sources. Yet, even these efforts will still not result in all power plants meeting the same standards as new plants year-round.

Sulfur Dioxide emissions are even less adequately regulated. According to the above mentioned report, New York’s 21 dirtiest power plants emitted over 180,000 extra, unnecessary tons of SO2 in 1997. Sulfur dioxide emissions have gone up over 21% from 1997 to 1998 (See Table 1). As nearly all of the New England states are downwind from the New York plants, this increase is directly affecting the entire region in addition to the health of people in New York.

THE HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS WITH INCREASED POWER PLANT POLLUTION

New York State has the dubious distinction of having some of the most unhealthful air to breathe in the nation. There are over one million New Yorkers with asthma, and the mere act of breathing can put them at risk for severe health complications. It can also diminish the quality of life for young children, the elderly, people with lung disease, and those working or exercising outdoors. Two pollutants--smog and soot--pose particular threats to public health.

Ground level ozone (smog) is formed when NOx and other air pollutants are "cooked" in hot temperatures and bright sunlight. When inhaled, smog can cause acute respiratory problems, aggravate asthma, cause inflammation of lung tissue, and lead to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits. In 1996, the American Lung Association and the Harvard School of Public Health released the study, Breathless: Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions/Emergency Room Visits in 13 Cities, that linked emergency room visits and hospital admissions for respiratory conditions to high ozone levels. In New York City, over 100,000 emergency room visits and over 36,000 respiratory hospital admissions during one summer were attributable to ozone. Studies conducted by New York University Medical Center found similar results in New York City and Buffalo.

Particulate matter (or soot) is a term used to define the solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Fine particulate matter (those 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller) is often formed by the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants and diesel trucks and buses. Soot is a public health concern because it is small enough to evade the lung's natural defense mechanism and can lodge deep within the lungs--where its chemical components damage lung tissue and can enter the blood stream as well. Numerous scientific studies have linked particulate pollution with premature death, respiratory related hospital admissions, aggravation of asthma, and decreased lung function. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that fine particles cause an estimated 40,000 premature deaths nationally each year. In New York State alone, over 3,000 lives are cut short each year due to fine particulates

Power plants are also responsible for hundreds of pounds of airborne mercury emissions every year. Benefitting from the Clean Air Act loophole, New York’s 21 dirtiest power plants released over 2000 pounds of mercury between the years 1995 and 1997. Airborne mercury eventually ends up in lakes and streams, and builds up to health threatening levels in the fish that we eat. New York has issued health advisories on fresh water fish consumption, cautioning women of childbearing age and children to limit their consumption due to the high level of mercury contamination. Mercury causes severe damage to the neurological system and has developmental effects on fetuses and small children.

In addition to the above health effects, power plant emissions contribute to our most serious ecological problems including acid rain, nitrogen saturation, haze and global warming. One of the most damaging forms of air pollution for natural systems is acid rain. Sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions are transformed into strong acids in the atmosphere and returned back to earth in rain, fog, snow, and dust particles. The combination of high deposition and acid-sensitive sites in parts of New York means that New York is one of the most vulnerable states in the country to impacts from acid rain. Carbon Dioxide is the main gas that traps outgoing heat in the earth’s atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect and global climate change. The year 1998 was the hottest on record. Such changes in weather patterns could have significant impacts on our natural resources, health, economy and way of life.

Outdated power plants continue to pollute unnecessarily and continue to keep New York’s air dirty. At a time when the technology exists to cut these emissions from the smokestacks, there is no reason why older, dirtier power plants should continue to be exempted from modern pollution standards. Old power plants must be required to meet the same standards as newer plants. Establishing tough emission caps would eliminate the inequitable cost advantage enjoyed by these older plants. This will provide a fair opportunity for cleaner energy generation and renewable energy to compete in a deregulated market, leaving us all breathing a lot easier.

ENDNOTES

1. Environmental Advocates, NYPIRG Fund, and PACE Energy Project, New York's Dirty Secret: The Power Plant Loophole, November 1998.
2. Ibid.
3. American Lung Association, Breathless: Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions/Emergency Room Visits in 13 Cities, June 1996.
4. Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), Breathtaking: Premature Mortality Due to Particulate Air Pollution in 239 American Cities, May 1996.
5. Ibid.
6. Environmental Advocates, et al., New York's Dirty Secret.