Investing to Meet or Exceed Coming Regulations
Ameren started reducing sulfur dioxide (SO
2) emissions long before the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments were passed, meeting our reduction goals well ahead of schedule. Actual emissions are significantly below required levels.
- These investments as well as earlier improvements in environmental performance have allowed Ameren to meet and exceed the coming regulatory standards dealing with air emissions.
- Both federal and state laws require significant reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions that result from burning fossil fuels. In March 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued regulations to further reduce SO2 and NOx emissions - the Clean Air Interstate Rule - or CAIR.
- In August 2011, the EPA finalized the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which would have replaced CAIR and would reduce SO2 emissions from power plants by 71% and their NOx emissions by 52% from 2005 levels. However, a federal court recently stayed this rule and put the CAIR back into effect.
- In February 2012, the EPA finalized the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) to control hazardous air pollutants from coal and oil fired power plants. The rule requires a reduction in mercury, as well as other trace metals, and acid gas emissions beginning in 2015.
Installing Controls and More
We anticipate that further controls will be necessary to meet the new CAIR and MATS regulations.
- Various pollution control methods will continue to be implemented to reduce SO2, NOx, mercury and particulate.
- Ameren continues to support research of more effective mercury control technology.
- Ameren estimates spending between $2 billion and $3 billion by 2020 on solutions that meet or exceed new requirements.
