If the EPA hopes to achieve its goals of cleaner air, wishing for voluntary actions by the energy companies will not work. Power companies exist to make money and that is what drives them.
Florida would benefit from an EPA which coddles much less the energy companies.
We are now seeing more and more changes in weather patterns and their effects on Florida.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
ManaSota-88, Inc. a 501.c3 Public Health and Environmental Organization
THE CLEAN AIR ACT REVISIONS
The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed regulations that would strengthen standards under the Clean Air Act for new gas-fired power plants and set emissions limits for “large, frequently used” fossil-powered electrical facilities.
The Clean Air Act is the cornerstone of our national air pollution control program. Since its passage in 1970, the Act has been responsible for substantial emission reductions. The federal, state, and local pollution control programs established under the Clean Air Act have brought about significant reductions in several major pollutants, including particulate matter, sulfur oxides and carbon monoxide.
However, many areas of the country have yet to attain minimally healthy air quality, and there are a host of pollution problems – – like acid and toxic air contaminants – – which the current programs have all but ignored. We have a long way to go before our air is healthy and clean.
Yet, for the past decade, industrial lobbyists have mounted aggressive campaigns to undermine public support for the Clean Air Act. Industries, including public utilities, oil companies, mining interests, and auto companies, have been claiming that they only want to make minor adjustments or fine tune the Clean Air Act but constitute a major retreat from our nation’s commitment to clean healthy air.
It is important that members of Congress get a clear message from the constituents that improving and protecting this country’s air quality is still a high priority item.
Older power plants are excluded from newer standards under the Clean Air Act because it was assumed these plants would be shut down and replaced with cleaner burning power plants over time.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) should push to end the grandfathering of older power plants. These power plants have been able to circumvent newer emissions standards required of modern plants. FDEP’s record of aggressively enforcing the Clean Air Act to protect the public’s health is unimpressive.
Rather than mandate the use of Best Available Control Technologies to minimize air pollution levels, FDEP intends to support legislation that calls for voluntary air quality improvements by a few power companies to help clean up Florida’s air.
Children, the elderly, and people with respiratory disease face the greatest risks.
Expanding energy needs will certainly create serious, adverse effects on the health of our populace. Industry representatives, state regulators and individuals have the responsibility of reducing the impacts of air pollution.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in the next 100 years, the greenhouse effect could lead to rising seas and significant changes in the world’s coastal zones. These changes would affect ecosystems and human development alike. In some regions, valuable natural, economic, and human resources could be lost entirely. Florida is especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, due to its over 8,000 miles of tidal shoreline with nearly 79% of its population living in coastal counties.
ManaSota-88 believes it is of vital importance to focus attention on the need to develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its associated impacts of sea level rise on coastal resources.
