final.txt

I. The President's Approach - Building on Success
The President's Energy Plan includes a number of conservation,
advanced research and development, and other efforts that will
reduce electricity usage. Reducing the amount of electricity we use
and the amount of fuel needed to produce it are part of the answers
to the challenge of providing energy in an environmentally
responsible way.
The President's Energy Plan goes even further. The President has
directed me to develop proposed legislation that would
significantly reduce and cap NOx, SO2 and mercury emissions from
power generation. Such a program (with appropriate measures to
address local concerns) would provide significant health benefits
even as we increase electricity supplies. The proposed legislation
will:


-
establish reduction targets for emissions of SO2, NOx and
mercury,


-
phase in reductions over a reasonable time period,
similar to the successful Acid Rain Program established by the 1990
amendments to the Clean Air Act and to state programs,


-
provide regulatory certainty to allow utilities to make
modifications to their plants without fear of new litigation,
and


-
provide market-based incentives, such as emissions
trading, to help achieve the required reductions.


Nationwide reductions of the three emissions, SO2, NOx and
mercury, in an integrated approach would result in key benefits
including thousands of avoided premature deaths and aggravation of
respiratory and cardiovascular illness due to fine particles,
reduced hospitalization and emergency room visits due to fine
particles and continued exposure to ground-level ozone. It would
also address interstate transport issues as they relate to meeting
the new particulate matter and ozone air quality standards.
Visibility improvement would be anticipated over large areas
including national parks and wilderness areas and recovery of many
freshwater and coastal ecosystems would be likely. Public health
risks associated with mercury, particularly those posed to children
and women of child bearing age, may be reduced. This includes risks
of neurotoxic effects such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
difficulty speaking and hearing others, and other learning
disabilities. Currently, current forty plus states have fish
advisories; that number would be reduced.
The President's approach builds on the Acid Rain Program, which
provides a wonderful model for future programs. It has not only met
expectations, but exceeded them. Administering the Acid Rain
Program has been a cost-effective experience. The program will
achieve about 40% of the total emission reductions required under
the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments at a low cost to industry and to
the government. The program is administered with a relatively small
staff relying on strong and state-of-the-art data tracking and
reporting capabilities.
When President George H.W. Bush signed the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990, it revolutionized clean air policy regarding
regional and national air pollution issues and drove environmental
protection in new directions. First, the President and Congress
designed the Acid Rain Program to focus on reducing the SO2
emissions that cause acid deposition and translated the emission
reduction goal into a nationwide cap on emissions from electric
generating sources. Second, Congress provided EPA with a tool to
achieve this reduction - - an innovative market-based allowance
trading program. This "cap and trade" approach provided greater
certainty that the emissions reductions would be achieved and
sustained while at the same time allowing industry unprecedented
flexibility in how to achieve the needed emission reductions. In
return for this flexibility, sources were to provide a full
accounting of their emissions through continuous monitoring and
reporting, and there would be consequences for failing to comply.
The objective was for sources to find the most cost-effective means
for limiting SO2 emissions and to be responsible for achieving
those emission reductions. There would be no government second
guessing and lengthy permit reviews.
Compliance with the Acid Rain Program began in 1995 and is now
in its seventh year. It has been a resounding success, with SO2
emissions from power generation dropping 4.5 million tons from 1990
levels and NOx emissions down 1.5 million tons from 1990 levels
(about 3 million tons lower than projected growth). In addition,
during the first Phase of the program (1995-1999), SO2 emissions
were between 20 to 30 percent below their allowable levels.
Furthermore, environmental monitoring networks tracked important
environmental improvements - - acid deposition was reduced by up to
30 percent in certain areas of the country.
And, these environmental improvements cost less than predicted
because of the built-in market based incentives. In 1990, EPA
projected the cost of full implementation of the SO2 emissions
reduction with trading at $5.7 billion per year (1997 dollars). In
1994, GAO projected the cost at $2.3 billion per year (1997
dollars). Recent estimates of annualized cost of compliance are in
the range of $1 to $1.5 billion per year at full
implementation.
President Bush has not only promised to take the SO2 trading
program to the next level but he has experience to lend to the
matter. In 1999, then-Governor Bush signed legislation that
permanently caps NOx and SO2 emissions from older power plants in
Texas starting in 2003 and requires utilities to install a certain
quantity of renewable and clean energy capacity by 2009.
Environmental Defense hailed this legislation as a model for the
country. The Emission Banking and Trading of Allowances Program is
expected to achieve substantial reductions when it is fully phased
in by 2003. It is estimated that this program will reduce NOx by
75,000 tons per year and SO2 by 35,000 tons per year. It is
designed to give the utilities flexibility in determining how and
where to achieve the reductions. Allowances are allocated to each
power plant based on 1997 emissions using a formula that does not
penalize the "clean" plants that already have a low NOx or SO2
emission rate. Permitted power generating plants may opt into the
trading program.


II. Regulating Emissions from Power Generation
The President's legislative approach stands in sharp contrast to
the complex web of existing regulations which currently confront
the industry. Over the years, Congress, EPA and the States have
responded to specific environmental and public health problems by
developing separate regulatory programs for utilities to address
the specific problems. Each individual program uses its own
approach to serve its own purpose. As I describe the different
regulatory programs, I think you will understand why we believe it
is time to simplify. If we have a new legislation that
significantly reduces emissions of SO2, NOx and mercury, we can
eliminate many of the individual programs that apply to the power
generation sector and replace them with a system that will reduce
the administrative burden on industry and governments, use
market-based incentives to keep compliance costs low, and provide
the industry with more certainty about its future regulatory
obligations.
There are many regulatory initiatives in place that will lead to
reductions in air emissions from electric power generation. These
regulations include both federal and State requirements that
address a variety of emissions including SO2, NOx, CO, PM10, and a
number of hazardous air pollutants. The requirements also vary
depending on the characteristics of the generating facility,
including its boiler type, size, age and location. These programs
include the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate
matter and ozone, the section 126 and the NOx SIP Call rules, new
source review and new source performance standards, the regional
haze rule and mercury regulation as a hazardous air pollutant,
among others.
EPA has set national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for
six pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide (CO); particulate matter
(PM); SO2; NO2; and lead (Pb). The Clean Air Act calls upon States
to adopt emissions control requirements in the form of State
Implementation Plans ("SIPs") to bring nonattainment areas into
compliance with the NAAQS. Historically, most States' strategies to
attain the SO2 and PM NAAQS included power plant controls.
EPA has taken two actions to address the contribution of
interstate transport of NOx emissions to downwind ozone
nonattainment problems, and both of these actions affect the power
sector. In 1998, EPA finalized the NOx SIP call, which now requires
19 states and the District of Columbia (whose emissions
significantly contribute to downwind ozone nonattainment problems)
to revise their SIPs to control summertime NOx emissions. In
response, all of these States are choosing control strategies that
focus on reducing power plant emissions. In a separate action aimed
at the same interstate NOx transport problem, in January 2000, EPA
finalized a rule which was issued in response to petitions from
several northeastern states under section 126 of the CAA. In this
rule, EPA found that emissions from large electric generating units
and large industrial boilers and turbines in 12 States and the
District of Columbia are significantly contributing to downwind
states' ozone nonattainment problems. The rule requires these
sources to control their summertime NOx emissions under the Federal
NOx Budget Trading Program beginning May 1, 2003.
The electric power generation sector is also regulated through a
variety of traditional and innovative programs. Consistent with the
Clean Air Act, many States have adopted NOx reasonably available
control technology requirements for combustion facilities. In
addition, several States have adopted market-based approaches. The
South Coast Air Quality Management District in Southern California,
for example, adopted a NOx and SO2 emissions trading program
(called RECLAIM). The Northeast and mid-Atlantic States that
comprise the Ozone Transport Region have developed a region-wide
NOx emissions trading program (the Ozone Transport Commission NOx
Budget Program). The revised ozone NAAQS and new PM2.5 NAAQS could
lead to further regulation of power plant SO2 emissions (a
precursor to ambient PM2.5) and NOx emissions (both for PM2.5 and
ozone attainment strategies).
The Act also requires State Implementation Plans to include a
preconstruction permit program for new or modified major stationary
sources, referred to as new source review ("NSR"). This program
ensures that when large, new facilities are built -- or major
modifications to existing facilities are made that result in a net
emissions increase -- they include state-of-the-art air pollution
control equipment. It also assures citizens who live near new major
sources of air pollution that the facilities will be as clean as
possible. The requirements are different for (1) the part of the
program called the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program
that applies to construction projects in areas where the air is
already clean, and (2) the part of the program called the
non-attainment NSR program that applies to construction projects in
areas where the air is unhealthy to breathe. For attainment areas,
to prevent significant deterioration of our nation's air quality,
new major sources and major modifications to existing sources must
apply the best available control technology and ensure that the new
pollution introduced into the environment does not adversely impact
the air quality, such as in pristine areas like national parks. For
nonattainment areas, in addition to applying control technology
that represents the lowest achievable emission rates, new major
sources and major modifications must offset their emissions
increases. This can be done by getting reductions from other
sources in the general area to compensate for the increases
resulting from the new air pollution sources.
The Act also requires EPA to establish new source performance
standards ("NSPS") that all new or modified sources must meet
regardless of their location. The NSPS are technology-based
numerical performance standards that apply to all sources in a
particular source category, such as electric utility steam
generating units or stationary gas turbines. These standards are
intended to "level the playing field" so that all new facilities
install a minimum amount of air pollution control equipment.
The recently finalized regional haze rule will also require
power generators to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions either through the
implementation of best available retrofit technology (BART) or a
trading program yet to be developed. States must show "reasonable
progress" in their state implementation plans toward the
congressionally mandated goal of returning to natural conditions in
national parks and wilderness areas.
EPA is developing a rule to limit mercury emissions from
utilities. The 1990 CAA Amendments required EPA to study and
prepare a report to Congress on the hazards to human health that
can reasonably be expected to occur as a result of emissions of
hazardous air pollutants (air toxics or HAPs) from fossil
fuel-fired electric power plants. Based on the Report to Congress
and on other available information, EPA found in December 2000 that
air toxics control is appropriate for coal-fired and oil-fired
utility boilers. As a result of that regulatory determination, EPA
is scheduled to propose "Maximum Achievable Control Technology"
(MACT) standards for these source categories by 2003. Given the
conclusions of the Report, the regulation is likely to focus on
mercury emissions.
The utility industry is also required to reduce SO2 emissions
through the Acid Rain Trading Program described above. In addition,
to address acid rain, the Clean Air Act requires utilities to
reduce their emissions through emissions limits, which EPA
established based on unit type.


III. Health and Environmental Benefits of the President's
Energy Plan
The President's Energy Plan recognizes that by conserving energy
and limiting NOx, SO2 and mercury emissions, we can provide the
country with significant public health and environmental benefits.
The problems we would address include: fine particle pollution,
visibility degradation, ozone pollution, mercury deposition, acid
rain, nitrate deposition and climate change. In turn, this will
avoid incidences of premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory
and cardiopulmonary illnesses, and diminished lung function which
results in lost work days, school absences and increased
hospitalizations and emergency room visits, and will also avoid
damage to eco-systems, fish and other wildlife. To understand the
tremendous benefits of the President's plan, we need to understand
the public health and environmental issues.


Emissions from Power Generation
Power generators are a significant source of three key
emissions: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury
(Hg). The Clean Air Act has been, and will continue to be, a
successful tool in reducing these emissions. However, while we are
observing significant environmental improvement, power generation
still contributes 67% of SO2, 25% of NOx, and 37% of man-made
mercury. (Power generation has other emissions, such as carbon
monoxide and coarse particles, but the level of these emissions
poses smaller risks for public health and the environment.)
One of the reasons power generation accounts for such a large
share of these key emissions is that significant emissions
reductions have already been required from other sources. For
example, a new car today is more than 90% cleaner than it was
before federal laws limiting emissions of CO, NOx and volatile
organic compounds - and they are subject to further reductions
starting in 2004, as are heavy duty trucks in 2007. In contrast,
some older power plants, built before certain Federal performance
standards were put into place, are still operating without modern
pollution control equipment for some emissions.


Air Quality Effects
FINE PARTICLE POLLUTION:
The President's Energy Plan will reduce fine particle pollution.
SO2 and NOx emissions from power generation react in the atmosphere
to form nitrates and sulfates, which are a substantial fraction of
fine particle (PM2.5) pollution. (Some PM2.5 comes from direct
emissions from a variety of sources.) A source emitting NOx and SO2
can cause PM2.5 many miles away. A substantial body of published
scientific literature recognizes a correlation between elevated
fine particulate matter and increased incidence of illness and
premature mortality. The health impacts include aggravation of
chronic bronchitis, hospitalizations due to cardio-respiratory
symptoms, emergency room visits due to aggravated asthma symptoms,
and acute respiratory symptoms. Based on these findings, EPA and
others estimate that attaining the fine particle standards would
avoid thousands, and up to tens of thousands, of premature deaths
annually.
The significant expansion in scientific research in recent years
has enhanced our understanding of the effects of particles on
health. EPA is summarizing all new information in the ongoing
review of the particulate matter standard in a "criteria document"
that will undergo extensive peer and public review.
• VISIBILITY AND REGIONAL HAZE IMPACTS:
The President's Energy Plan will improve visibility by reducing
SO2 and NOx emissions. Sulfates and nitrates that form in the
atmosphere from SO2 and NOx emissions are significant contributors
to visibility impairment in many national parks and wilderness
areas, as well as urban areas across the country. Sulfates are a
key factor in all areas of the United States, particularly in the
East, where high humidity increases the light extinction efficiency
of sulfates. Sulfates are responsible for 6080% of total light
extinction in the East, based on data collected during the 1990's
in eastern national parks such as Acadia, Everglades, Great Smoky
Mountains, Shenandoah, and in Washington, DC.
In the West, sulfates account for approximately 25-50% of
visibility impairment. Nitrates can play a larger role in
visibility problems in some portions of the West than in the East.
For example, nitrates account for 20-40% of visibility impairment
in national parks and wilderness areas in Southern California. In
many urban areas, NOx emissions from cars, trucks, and power plants
contribute to winter time "brown cloud" situations.

C OZONE:
The President's Energy Plan will reduce ozone by reducing NOx, a
key contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone. In the
presence of sunlight, NOx and volatile organic compounds react
photochemically to produce ozone. NOx can be transported long
distances and contribute to ozone many hundreds of miles from its
source. More than 97 million people live in areas that do not yet
meet the health-based 1-hour ozone standard (based on 1997-1999
data). The number would be even higher for the new 8-hour ozone
standard. Reducing ozone levels will result in fewer
hospitalizations, emergency room and doctors visits for asthmatics,
significantly fewer incidents of lung inflamation for atrisk
populations, and significantly fewer incidents of moderate to
severe respiratory symptoms in children.
Not only will reducing ozone provide public health benefits, but
it will avoid damage to ecosystems and vegetation. Ozone causes
decreased agricultural and commercial forest yields, increased
mortality and reduced growth of tree seedlings, and increased plant
susceptibility to disease, pests, and environmental stresses (e.g.,
harsh weather). Since NOx emissions result in formation of
ground-level ozone, reducing NOx emissions will reduce ozone levels
and thus reduce the deleterious effects of ozone on human health
and ecosystems.
Deposition Effects


C MERCURY:
The President's Energy Plan will benefit public health by
reducing mercury air emissions. Mercury is highly toxic in small
quantities and Americans with diets with high levels of mercury are
at risk for adverse health effects. Mercury is a naturally
occurring element, but human activity mobilizes mercury in the
environment, making it more bioavailable. After mercury is emitted
to the air, it can be transported through the atmosphere for days
to years before being deposited into water bodies.
Once mercury is deposited in lakes, rivers, and oceans, it
bioaccumulates in the food chain, resulting in high concentrations
in predatory fish. In the U.S., most human exposure to mercury is
the result of consumption of fish contaminated with methylmercury.
A recent report of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded
that while most Americans face a very low risk from methylmercury,
children of women who consume large amounts of fish during
pregnancy face a much higher risk. Fetuses are particularly
vulnerable to methylmercury because of their rapidly developing
nervous systems. These effects include cognitive, sensory, and
motor deficits. The NAS study estimates as many as 60,000 children
annually may develop neurological problems because of low-level
methylmercury exposure through their mother prior to birth.
Forty-one states have advisories warning the public to restrict
eating fish from local waters due to methylmercury. EPA estimates
that 5.6 million acres of lakes, estuaries and wetlands and 43,500
miles of streams, rivers and coasts are impaired by mercury
emissions.
ACID RAIN:
The President's Energy Plan will reduce acid rain by reducing
SO2 and NOx. Acidic deposition or "acid rain" occurs when SO2 and
NOx in the atmosphere react with water, oxygen, and oxidants to
form acidic compounds. These compounds fall to the Earth in either
dry form (gas and particles) or wet form (rain, snow, and fog).
Some are carried by the wind, sometimes hundreds of miles, across
state and national borders. In the United States, about 67 percent
of annual SO2 emissions and 25 percent of NOx emissions are
produced by electric utility plants that burn fossil fuels.
Although we have made progress as a result of the 1990 Acid Rain
Program, we have not fully addressed the problem. Indicators of
recovery of lakes and streams do not show consistent change in
response to reduced SO2 emissions. In sensitive areas such as the
Adirondacks, for example, the majority of lakes have remained
fairly constant in terms of acidification levels, while the most
sensitive lakes continue to acidify. Overall, acid deposition
continues to impair the water quality of lakes and streams in the
Northeast: 41 percent of lakes in the Adirondack region of New York
and 15 percent of lakes in New England exhibit signs of chronic
and/or episodic acidification. Although sulfur deposition has
declined, nitrogen emissions have not changed substantially
region-wide. Moreover, recent findings also suggest that nitrogen
is quantitatively as important or, in some areas, possibly more
important than sulfur as a cause of episodic acidification because
of short-term acidic pulses occurring during the most biologically
sensitive time of the year, when fish reproduce. Reductions of NOx,
particularly during winter and spring, are critical for addressing
these concerns.
� NITROGEN DEPOSITION:
The President's Energy Plan will improve eco-systems and water
bodies by reducing NOx emissions. Some air emissions of NOx from
power generation result in deposition of nitrogen in soils and
water. While nitrogen is an essential nutrient, its availability is
naturally limited, making it an important factor in regulating the
structure and functioning of both terrestrial and aquatic
ecological systems. Human activity has greatly altered the
terrestrial and atmospheric nitrogen cycle, doubling the annual
amount of nitrogen available in forms that are useful to living
organisms. Nitrogen saturation of watersheds contributes to
environmental problems such as reduced drinking water quality,
nitrateinduced toxic effects on freshwater organisms, increased
soil acidification and aluminum mobility, increased emissions from
soil of nitrogenous greenhouse trace gases, reduction of methane
consumption in soil, and forest decline and reduced
productivity.
Coastal water and marine environment are also impacted by
atmospheric deposition of nitrogen. Depending upon the location,
from 10 to more than 40 percent of new nitrogen inputs to coastal
waters along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States
come from air pollution. One of the best documented and understood
impacts of increased nitrogen is the eutrophication of estuaries
and coastal waters. Eutrophication refers to the increase in the
rate of supply of organic matter to an ecosystem and its many
undesirable consequences. Symptoms of eutrophication are found in
many of our nation's coastal ecosystems. They include algal blooms
that are potentially hazardous to human health, low dissolved
oxygen concentrations, declines in the health of fish and shellfish
populations, loss of seagrass beds and coral reefs, and ecological
changes in food webs.



Summary of Health and Environmental Effects
Adopting a unified approach to reduce SO2, NOx and mercury is
better than looking at each pollutant separately because of
synergistic effects. Beyond their impacts as separate emissions,
SO2, NOx, and mercury together contribute to many air
pollution-related problems affecting human health and the
environment. In certain cases, synergies exist between emissions
and among the various reduction approaches available, making it
imperative that efforts to reduce risk address all three emissions
accommodate these synergies. In the case of fine particles,
atmospheric chemical relationships suggest that when only reducing
sulfate for example, it is replaced in the atmosphere by nitrate.
Thus, simultaneous NOx and SO2 emission reductions are critical. In
the case of acid rain, significant reductions in sulfur dioxide
have not corresponded to ecological changes due to continuing high
levels of nitrogen. Continuing levels of sulfur deposition, albeit
smaller than before, also work to prevent recovery due to extremely
large sulfur loadings over the years. Both emissions count in
achieving the goal of recovery. Additionally, some synergies have
been observed between methylmercury and lake acidity - the more
acidic, the greater the mercury concentration.
As more environmental data become available and science
improves, we are observing some environmental improvement
accompanying the downward trend in emissions. However, there are
persistent and growing concerns regarding recovery of ecosystems
and the risks that air pollution pose to human health. For
instance, nitrate levels in surface waters are not significantly
improving, and at best are constant. Logically, if emissions
continue at the same level, or increase, pollution problems will
mirror that trend. Visibility impairment in national parks,
wilderness areas and urban areas also continues to be a problem.
Many people continue to be exposed to unacceptable levels of smog.
Of particular significance --the American public has become acutely
aware of the hazards to their health, including the risk of
mortality, posed by inhalation of fine particles and exposure to
mercury through fish consumption.


IV Climate Change
The President's Energy Plan, and the climate change strategy
that is under development, will provide benefits by addressing
climate change. Energy-related activities are the primary source of
U.S. man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Power generators, which
emit CO2, contribute abut 29% of the total emissions of all U.S.
man-made greenhouse gases. Scientists continue to learn more about
global climate change, its causes, potential impacts, and possible
solution. We recently held Cabinet-level working group meetings to
review the most recent, most accurate and most comprehensive
science. During those meetings, we heard from scientists offering a
wide spectrum of views. We have reviewed the facts and listened to
many theories and suppositions. The working group asked the highly
respected National Academy of Sciences to provide us the most
up-to-date information about what is known and about what is not
known on the science of climate change.
We know the surface temperature of the Earth is warming. It has
risen by .6 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years. There was a
warming trend from the 1890s to the 1940s, cooling from the 1940s
to the 1970s, and then sharply rising temperatures from the 1970s
to today. There is a natural greenhouse effect that contributes to
warming. Greenhouse gases trap heat and thus warm the Earth because
they prevent a significant portion of infrared radiation from
escaping into space. Concentration of greenhouse gases, especially
CO2, have increased substantially since the beginning of the
industrial revolution. And the National Academy of Sciences
indicates that the increase is due in large part to human activity.
The Academy's report also tells us that there are many unanswered
questions about climate change, which makes it difficult to
determine what levels of greenhouse gas emissions need to be
avoided.
To address global climate change and greenhouse gas emissions,
we are pursuing a broad array of conservation and energy efficiency
goals under the Administration's National Energy Policy as well as
the development of a comprehensive policy under the ongoing
cabinet-level review for this issue. On June 11, President Bush
announced the establishment of two major initiatives to address the
major scientific and technological challenges presented by this
serious, long-term issue: the U.S. Climate Research Initiative and
the National Climate Change Technology Initiative. In addition, he
committed the United States to increasing cooperative efforts in
the Western Hemisphere, and with our allies globally, to
aggressively pursue joint research and actions. These efforts have
recently borne fruit, particularly recent agreements with Japan and
Italy to collaborate on climate modeling efforts and with El
Salvador in a "forest for debt" swap that will preserve tropical
forests there that sequester carbon. The complex challenge of
global climate change requires a global response that will draw on
the power of global markets and the promise of technology to
achieve emissions reductions most flexibly and costeffectively in
the coming century. The Administration intends to address this
challenge in that context, and will leverage our national resources
to enhance our scientific understanding of global climate change,
and develop the advanced energy technologies that the world will
need in coming decades to meet its energy and environmental
needs.


V. Conclusion
Our country has made great progress in reducing air pollution
over the last several decades, but pollution from power generation
needs to be further controlled. We can draw no other conclusion
given the significant contribution that power generation makes to
the emissions that cause such serious public health and
environmental problems.
But our current regulatory programs are not the most efficient
way to achieve the goal of ensuring a reliable energy supply in an
environmentally responsible manner. Rather than take a
pollutant-by-pollutant, problem-by-problem approach, we have the
opportunity to examine the sector as a whole. Doing so provides us
with the opportunity for cost-effective reductions and significant
public health and environmental gains. That is why this
Administration supports the development of new legislation that
builds on the success of the market-based Acid Rain Program to
reduce significantly the SO2, NOx and mercury emissions from power
generation. Mandatory controls are not the only way to solve public
health and environmental problems. President Bush's National Energy
Plan also includes measures to increase conservation of energy,
increase energy efficiency, and encourage technological advances
such as clean coal technology, fuel cells, and combined heat and
power facilities -- all of which will contribute to addressing the
energy and environmental challenges of
11
this industry.
I have already spent time with representatives of the power
generation sector and have heard from a number of them who are
interested in legislation that will provide the public health and
environmental benefits we discussed today. I applaud their concern
and their willingness to help craft a workable solution. I have
also heard from environmentalists who are interested in these same
issues. I know that many of you are interested in addressing these
issues through legislation. I hope that our common interests will
lead us to a consensus - one that will provide the country with
significant benefits. I look forward to working with you on these
issues.
12