New rules intended to curtail air and water pollutant emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants in the U.S. have been issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A final rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants mandates that these facilities curb 90% of their carbon pollution. A regulatory impact analysis projects reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution overall through 2047, which is equivalent to preventing the annual emissions of 328 million gasoline cars, or to nearly an entire year of emissions from the entire U.S. electric power sector. SuchSource: U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySource: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reductions, largely achievable through proven carbon capture and sequestration technology, can deliver up to $370 billion in climate and public health net benefits over the next two decades.

The agency is also strengthening and updating mercury and air toxics standards for coal-fired power plants, achieving important hazardous air pollutant emissions. By 2028, the final rules are projected to result in annual reductions of 1,000 lb of mercury, at least 7 tons of non-mercury hazardous air pollutant metals, 770 tons of fine particulate matter, 280 tons of nitrogen oxides and 65,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Buttressed wastewater discharge standards will annually prevent more than 660 million lb of pollution per year from being discharged from coal-fired power plants. The technology-based effluent limitation guidelines will apply to flue gas desulfurization wastewater, bottom ash transport water, combustion residual leachate and legacy wastewater stored in surface impoundments.

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