The cost of Reducing SO2 (It's Higher Than You Think?

Initial cost estimates for achieving the sulfur-dioxide emissions reductions envisioned under the fully implemented Phase II cap in the acid rain provisions of Title IV of the Clean Air Act ranged from $225 to $500 per ton. Title IV capped annual emissions at 9 million tons, to be achieved in two ph...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public utilities fortnightly (1994) 1998-05, Vol.136 (10), p.22
Main Authors: Smith, Anne E, Platt, Jeremy, A Denny Ellerman
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Acid rain
Air pollution
Banking
Clean Air Act-US
Climate change
Coal
Compliance
Cost control
Cost estimates
Emission standards
Emissions trading
Environmental protection
Flexibility
Industrial plant emissions
Legislation
Prices
Sulfur
Trends
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Initial cost estimates for achieving the sulfur-dioxide emissions reductions envisioned under the fully implemented Phase II cap in the acid rain provisions of Title IV of the Clean Air Act ranged from $225 to $500 per ton. Title IV capped annual emissions at 9 million tons, to be achieved in two phases. Phase I began in 1995, and required only 110 power plants with 263 generating units to balance their emissions with allowances. About 182 additional units opted in. Phase II will begin in the year 2000, when essentially all major fossil units must obtain allowances to operate; only about 9 million allowances will be distributed each year. Starting in 2000, the beginning of Phase II will usher in a lower cap, marking the start of an era of late compliance, as plant owners draw down the bank, allowing them to delay the full force of the Phase II cap. Today, the average cost actually experienced in Phase I is about $200 per ton. The current lore is that initial cost estimates for Title IV exceeded $1,000 per ton.
ISSN:1078-5892
1945-2578