air pollution
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Legal & Regulatory
Supreme Court Halts EPA’s ‘Good Neighbor Plan’
The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5–4 vote blocked enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final “Good Neighbor Plan,” a rule intended to significantly cut smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from power plants and other industrial facilities in 23 states. In the meantime, the applicants, which include the states of Ohio, Indiana, and West […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Moves to Significantly Tighten Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
A proposed rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 5 could considerably tighten the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, with specific repercussions for coal- and oil-fired generation. The proposed rule seeks to significantly update the 2012–finalized National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Coal- and Oil-Fired […]
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News
EPA Reinterprets ‘Ambient Air,’ Further Tweaks New Source Review
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a change to a long-standing policy interpreting “ambient air”—a foundational concept under the Clean Air Act that applies to all types of air pollution, from ground-level ozone, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases. While the agency framed the change as part of a suite of actions to reform New Source […]
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News
Utility Group Under Congressional Investigation Will Disband
A utility industry coalition that has often challenged stricter air pollution and climate rules for power generation said it will dissolve. The Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG), which has been under investigation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee due to its relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) top air policy official and his […]
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Legal & Regulatory
The Big Picture: Energy Transitions [INFOGRAPHIC]
An energy transition is underway across the world. Market upheaval, defining events, and recent policy changes have accelerated a shift away from coal toward renewables. Here is how this transformation played out for some of the world’s major economies over the past decade. Graphs show percent of each fuel source of total generation for that […]
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Coal
Beijing’s Last Coal Power Plant Ceases Operation, Air Pollution Still a Concern
Beijing, China—a city known for its dreadful air pollution—no longer has any large coal-fired power plants adding to the problem. The Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant’s final unit suspended operations on March 18, marking the end of coal-fueled generation in the city. Beijing’s power is now being supplied by what Xinhua (the Chinese government’s official […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Court Orders EPA to Evaluate Coal Industry Job Losses Related to Air Pollution Rules
A federal court has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to file a plan and schedule to evaluate the consequences of its air pollution rules on jobs, finding for a giant coal company that is suing the agency for an alleged “war on coal” waged over the past five years. In an October 17 summary […]
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Press Releases
Fuel Tech Awarded Air Pollution Control Orders Totaling $2.1 Million
September 20, 2016 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time WARRENVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK), a world leader in advanced engineering solutions for the optimization of combustion systems and emissions control in utility and industrial applications, today announced the receipt of multiple air pollution control (APC) contracts from customers in China and the US. These awards […]
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Legal & Regulatory
IEA: World’s Power Sector Trails Others in Air Emissions
The world’s power sector last year emitted a third of global sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, 14% of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 5% of total particulate emissions (PM2.5), but those emission values have fallen drastically over the last decade even though coal power generation has seen a surge, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a […]
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Renewables
U.S. and China Agree to Increase Nationwide Carbon Reduction Targets
Reaching an unexpected climate breakthrough, the U.S. and China in a joint statement on Wednesday each announced new targets to slash carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. President Barack Obama set a new target to cut U.S. carbon emissions between 26% and 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, meanwhile, said his country […]