| WASHINGTON
- October 19 - Memo To Reporters Covering The Environment
We were intrigued at the news release issued late yesterday by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding air quality
trends in the nation (see http://www.epa.gov and note news releases
for Oct. 18). So we read the actual report and related background
material. Here are a few things the EPA didn't tell you:
-- In the release, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman hailed a
recent National Governors Association (NGA) policy as a "remarkable
step forward" toward addressing pollution from electric power
plants. This is unfortunate and misleading propaganda. In fact,
during its recent annual meeting, NGA adopted a policy similar to
that of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI): it urged changes in
EPA's "new source review" program to promote "fuel diversity,"
which is code language for increased coal burning. NGA also
mimicked EEI rhetoric by calling for "regulatory certainty" and a
"flexible, market-based program." Again, like EEI, the governors
opposed any mandatory reductions of the heat-trapping gas carbon
dioxide. It's no wonder, by the way, that NGA came up with such a
blatantly pro-industry approach. The policy was developed behind
closed doors without input from the general public.
-- Despite progress in reducing pollution, EPA's press release
neglected to mention that more than 121 million people were still
living in areas that violated basic public health standards in
2000. In a footnote to its report, EPA noted that "this number may
increase" as new monitors go up to track fine particulate soot.
These sobering statistics dramatically underscore the continuing
need for enforceable programs to protect air quality at the state
and local level. Unfortunately, EPA's Whitman has said that she,
like industry, would like to scuttle many of those programs,
including new source review.
-- EPA's release failed to note that smog-and-soot-forming
nitrogen oxides emissions actually increased by three percent
during the past decade. This is mainly due to increased emissions
from diesel trucks and buses and from so-called "nonroad" diesel
engines, including construction equipment. The pollution increase
underscores the need to press ahead with efforts to clean up diesel
trucks and highway diesel fuel (the oil industry is suing to block
EPA's cleanup plan) as well as for EPA to initiate a bold new
initiative to clean up nonroad diesel engines and diesel fuel.
-- EPA's release failed to note the shocking fact that during
the past decade, smog levels rose in 29 of our national parks,
including "significant upward trends" in the Great Smoky Mountains,
the Everglades, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Canyonlands, among
others. The fine print of EPA's report also suggests that
visibility is becoming worse at western national parks. These
statistics underscore the need to move forward with tough "regional
haze" rules, which Whitman has said she would like to eliminate, as
well as to maintain new source review requirements.
-- EPA failed to note that a recent National Academy of Sciences
report found that mercury exposure may cause neurological problems
in 60,000 children born in the U.S. each year. Or that 40 states
have issued fish consumption warnings because of mercury. Or that
electric power plants are the biggest source of mercury. EPA has
discussed eliminating upcoming EPA "toxic" air pollutant rules on
mercury in favor of a system that would allow utilities to buy and
sell toxic mercury "credits."
-- EPA's release also failed to note that greenhouse gas
emissions in the U.S. rose 11 percent between 1990 and 1998.
Electric utility emissions went up even more. Obviously, the
"voluntary" reduction efforts touted in EPA's press release aren't
doing the job.
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