Government Law Newsroom

The Environment Continue To Suffer As A Result Of Pollution Emitted By Power plants Across The United States

Congress finds that  public health and the environment continue to suffer as a result of pollution emitted by powerplants across the United States, despite the success of Public Law 101-549 (commonly known as the `Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990') (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) in reducing emissions;

(2) according to the most reliable scientific knowledge, acid rain precursors must be significantly reduced for the ecosystems of the Northeast and Southeast to recover from the ecological harm caused by acid deposition;

(3) because lakes and sediments across the United States are being contaminated by mercury emitted by powerplants, there is an increasing risk of mercury poisoning of aquatic habitats and fish-consuming human populations;

(4)(A) electricity generation accounts for approximately 40 percent of the total emissions in the United States of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas causing global warming; and

(B) the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is growing without constraint and well beyond the international commitments of the United States;

(5) the cumulative impact of powerplant emissions on public and environmental health must be addressed swiftly by reducing those harmful emissions to levels that are less threatening; and

(6)(A) the atmosphere is a public resource; and

(B) emission allowances, representing permission to use that resource for disposal of air pollution from electricity generation, should be allocated to promote public purposes, including--

(i) protecting electricity consumers from adverse economic impacts;

(ii) providing transition assistance to adversely affected employees, communities, and industries; and

(iii) promoting clean energy resources and energy efficiency