Acid Rain and Mercury Control Act

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 111th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

R McHughSponsor

4 cosponsors · 3 D, 1 R

0 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

Acid Rain and Mercury Control Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations to reduce specified amounts of aggregate sulfur dioxide emissions and nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants by January 1, 2012. Authorizes the regulations to include market-oriented mechanisms.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Apr 1, 2009

Requires the Administrator to coordinate with federal and state governments to increase energy efficiency, to increase the use of renewable energy, and to implement cost saving advanced demand and supply side policies.

Requires a power plant, by the later of the date that is 30 years after it commenced operation or the date that is five years after this Act's enactment, to comply with the specified new source performance standards and specified requirements applicable to modified sources under the Clean Air Act.

Considers affected units (coal-fired electric generating facilities that have a nameplate capacity greater than 25 megawatts and that generate electricity for sale) that commence operation after December 31, 2010, to be new units. Prohibits such units from exceeding the mercury emission limit of 0.6 pounds mercury per trillion Btu upon commencement of operation. Prohibits affected units that commence operation on or before December 31, 2010, from exceeding such limit by January 1, 2013.

Sets forth penalties for excess emissions. Requires the Administrator to ensure that mercury captured or recovered by emission controls installed at affected units is not re-released into the environment.

Prohibits owners or operators of electricity generating facilities from: (1) operating such facilities in noncompliance with the requirements of this Act; (2) failing to submit allowances or penalties or to provide and comply with any plan to offset excess emissions; and (3) emitting mercury in excess of the emission limitations.

Prohibits any person from holding, using, or transferring emission allowances allocated under such Act that are not in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Administrator.

Declares that nothing in this Act affects the ability of states to take actions to further limit sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or mercury.

Directs the Administrator to promulgate regulations to protect specified sensitive ecosystems if the emissions reductions under title VII of the Clean Air Act are not sufficient to ensure the protection and restoration of such ecosystems.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Acid Rain and Mercury Control Act

Latest action (Apr 28, 2009): Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.

Policy area: Environmental Protection · Origin: House · Introduced: Apr 1, 2009

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.