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EPA Plan to Crack Down on Coal Plant Emissions Draws Support

2 min read

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal plan to crack down on emissions from Texas coal-fired electrical generating plants that affect visibility at national parks and wilderness areas in three states is backed by many who attended a recent public hearing.

Related: EPA’s Clean Power Plan Fuels Carbon Debate

The Environmental Protection Agency’s meeting Thursday in Oklahoma City was meant to obtain feedback after its plan for Texas utilities was released in November, The Oklahoman reported Sunday. The agency partially rejected a Texas state plan for regional haze proposed in 2009.

EPA air modeling shows emissions from Texas coal plants affect visibility at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and the Caney Creek Wilderness Area in western Arkansas. The new federal plan for Texas affects eight plants and aims to cut down on sulfur dioxide emissions.

Also: NERA Study Says EPA Regs Would Cost Arkansas

Any costs associated with the proposed changes will not affect Oklahoma utilities or their customers. The state is partially under a federal plan for regional haze rules, with compliance costs estimated to total $1.5 billion from Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of Oklahoma. If state regulators approve it, customer bills are expected to go up by 11 percent to 15 percent in the next few years.

More than 60 people spoke at the hearing, with only two opposing the plan. The Sierra Club arranged travel for a contingent of people.

More: Gov. Asa Hutchinson Says He’ll ‘Push Back’ Against EPA

“Oklahoma has a Texas air pollution problem,” said William Cunningham, who lives in Meers, just north of the refuge. “You don’t need to be an environmentalist in order to become concerned about pollution from Texas that the prevailing winds bring to us every day. On clear days, I drive to and fro from work and I see haze, not smoke, not dust, not humidity.”

Kim Mireles, vice president of environmental services at Luminant, which operates four of eight Texas generating plants covered by the EPA proposal, said the latest readings from air monitors show visibility has steadily improved at Wichita Mountains in the past 10 years.

“We are confident that current regulatory programs will ensure this progress is maintained without the additional costs the EPA proposal would entail,” Mireles said.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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