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Readers Note: This Plan details how the State of Nevada will meet its annual mercury emissions budget and the standards for performance for mercury emitted from new and existing coal-fired electric utility steam generating units.
BACKGROUND
In March 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) to regulate emissions of mercury from coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs) (published May 18, 2005, 70FR28649 et. seq.). The CAMR establishes “standards of performance” through a mechanism that caps mercury emissions from new and existing coal-fired power plants at specified levels and creates a market-based cap-and-trade program that will reduce nationwide utility emissions of mercury in two distinct phases. The CAMR also establishes the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for mercury that apply to new coal-fired power plants (“new” means construction or reconstruction starting after January 30, 2004).
The CAMR assigns each state an annual budget for emissions of mercury from coal-fired EGUs. Furthermore, it sets a nationwide cap for new and existing coal-fired EGUs. The first phase of the nationwide cap of 38 tons per year becomes effective in 2010; the second phase cap of 15 tons per year becomes effective in 2018. The CAMR annual mercury allocation budgets for Nevada are 0.285 tons per year during the first phase (2010 through 2017) and 0.112 tons per year in the second phase (2018 and beyond).
Under the federal regulation, Nevada can meet its CAMR mercury emissions budget either by joining an EPA-administered emissions trading program and allowance distribution, by joining the EPA trading program with a state-administered allowance allocation program, or by demonstrating that emissions will not exceed the State’s budget in any year. Nevada has chosen a hybrid approach allowed for in the second option.
Download State Plan
- Main Report (56 pages - 505KB - Opens in New Browser Windwo)
- Appendix A — Adopted Regulation LCB File No. R162-06 (42 Pages 125KB)
- Appendix B — Authority to Adopt and Implement; Nevada Revised Statutes (29 Pages 304KB)
- Appendix C — Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 445B (174 Pages 514KB)
- Appendix D — Evidence of public participation (23 Pages 1,407KB)
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