Protecting our children and communities by limiting emissions of mercury and other air toxics from power plants.
Mats mercury emission limits.
Do not change the types of state of the art pollution controls that they are expected to install.
The mercury and air toxics standards reduces mercury and other toxic air pollutants from coal and oil fired power plants.
The regulations are promulgated by agencies such as the environmental protection agency epa and food and drug administration fda as well as a variety of state and local authorities.
This includes emission limits for mercury particulate matter sulfur dioxide acid gases and certain individual metals.
As part of the rule epa reinstated the 2000 appropriate and necessary finding.
Signed by epa administrator lisa jackson in december 2011 mats required coal and oil fired power plants to reduce their emissions of mercury and a range of heavy metals and acid gases.
In issuing the mats in 2012 the epa estimated that the rule would produce annual benefits of between 37 billion to 90 billion at an annual compliance.
Under section 112 the epa reviews the risks of hap emissions from categories of sources that emit haps and if it finds that it is a n sets emissions limits for those haps for each category.
Epa published the mercury and air toxics standards mats.
Recent actions july 17 2020 epa finalized minor revisions to the electronic reporting requirements for mats.
Mercury regulation in the united states limit the maximum concentrations of mercury hg that is permitted in air water soil food and drugs.
The updates only apply to future power plants.
The mats rule establishes numeric emission limits for mercury hg particulate matter pm and hydrochloric acid hcl for existing source under the national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants neshap and sets numeric emission limits for pm sulfur dioxide so2 and nitrogen oxide nox for new sources under the new source performance standards nsps provisions of the clean.
The mats rule has been in effect for years and the power sector has largely complied with its limits on mercury emissions and other harmful pollutants.
And will not significantly change costs or public health benefits of the rule.
