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Environmental Protection Agency policy evaluation : The March 2012 proposal -- Limiting CO2 emissions for electric utility generating units : a report submitted to the faculty of the Milwaukee School of Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering / by Justin Cosgrove.

by Cosgrove, Justin., United States. Environmental Protection Agency , Milwaukee School of Engineering

Electric power production

Carbon dioxide -- Environmental aspects -- United States

Coal-fired power plants -- United States.

Mercury -- Environmental aspects

89 leaves : illustrations, some of which are in color ; 29 cm.

Coal, CO2, climate change, and electric power generation: evaluating the EPA's proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- Literature review -- Methods -- Analysis -- Results and discussion -- Appendix A: United States coal projection -- B: Life cycle analysis data.

Air quality regulations have been a focus of attention by many in light of the growing concern over climate change and the possibility of its being caused by anthropogenic means. The recent U.S. Supreme Court case, Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, declared Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to be an air pollutant. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must regulate all air pollutants. It has been established that CO2 is a Greenhouse Gas (GHG), which is thought to cause a blanketing effect in the lower atmosphere, trapping solar radiation and gradually increasing the temperature of the earth. By virtue of the decision reached in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA must now regulate CO2.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest stationary source of CO2, making them the most likely candidate for regulation. Coal-fired power plants currently produce most of the electricity that is consumed in the United States. A March 2012 new regulation proposal by the EPA sets an air emission limit on CO2 for all new electric utility generating units, regardless of fuel source, at 1000 lbs./mega-watt hour (MWH). This level is currently lower than the achievable limit for coal-fired power plants without some type of carbon capture technology. Carbon capture technology has not been proven for large scale use and is likely to take years to perfect. New natural gas-fired power plants are able to produce the same amount of energy as coal-fired power plants, and still be under the 1000 lbs./MWH limit of the March 2012 proposal. The goal of this thesis is to answer the question: Is the EPA's decision -- to limit CO2 emissions at 1000 lbs./MWH for all new electric generating units -- an environmentally and economically feasible solution? To evaluate this regulation, a normative dimensional analysis and an empirical proposal with respect to its effects on human health, the environment, and the coal industry. The result of the analysis is a number of important findings. It is found that the EPA's March 2012 proposal should have a beneficial effect on human health and on the environment. The effect of the proposal on the coal industry is likely to be largely in agreement with the EPA's own assessment; the direct effect on the coal industry is projected to be little or negligible. Other regulations, i.e., mercury control, will have a greater impact than the CO2 proposed regulation.1 1This report was finalized before the September 20th standards were published.

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