[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 95 (Thursday, June 21, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4411-S4412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EPA EMISSION STANDARDS RULE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, on December 21, 2011, the Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA, finalized the mercury and air toxics standards, 
MATS, rule for powerplants. These standards, which will be fully in 
effect in 2016, will require coal-fired powerplants to install 
pollution controls for mercury and toxic air pollution. When fully 
implemented, the MATS for powerplants will reduce mercury emissions 
from powerplants by 90 percent, acid gases by 88 percent, and 
particulate emissions, including nonmercury toxic metals, by 41 
percent. Senator Inhofe's S.J. Res. 37 would disapprove and nullify 
this rule and, more importantly, make it impossible for the EPA to 
implement substantially similar rules in the future.
  The State of Maine, located at the end of our Nation's ``air 
pollution tailpipe,'' is on the receiving end of pollution emissions 
from coal-fired powerplants operating in other States. The pollution 
reductions required under the rule will improve public health and 
improve the environment in our State. That is why I will vote to uphold 
the clean air rule that requires coal-fired powerplants to install 
pollution controls.
  While legitimate concerns have been raised that additional compliance 
time and more cost-effective options are needed, I have significant 
concerns with overturning this rule and permanently barring the EPA 
from issuing any standards in the future that are substantially 
similar. I will push the EPA to work with utilities to develop 
reasonable implementation schedules.
  Reductions in air pollutants from other States will reduce air 
pollution in Maine, which has one of the highest asthma rates in the 
Nation, affecting 1 in 10 adults and over 25,000 children. The EPA 
estimates that the MATS will prevent 130,000 cases of childhood asthma 
symptoms.
  Every State in the country has issued mercury advisories for human 
fish consumption because of high levels of mercury in our Nation's 
streams, lakes, and rivers, and half of U.S. manmade mercury comes from 
coal-fired powerplants. Mercury is one of the most persistent and 
dangerous pollutants, particularly harmful to children and pregnant 
women, and it threatens our health and environment today. Under the new 
rule, 90 percent of this mercury would be removed. I am a longtime 
supporter of efforts to reduce mercury pollution and have sponsored 
legislation to establish a nationwide mercury monitoring system to 
accurately measure mercury levels.
  The rule also includes standards for 186 other hazardous pollutants, 
including arsenic, acid gases, and toxic metals. Additionally, the 
equipment installed to control these pollutants will not only reduce 
these hazardous air pollutants but also capture fine particles, which 
are linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
  I am a longtime supporter of Clean Air Act protections. This landmark 
legislation, authored by Maine's own Senator Ed Muskie more than 40 
years ago, has helped protect and improve our Nation's air quality and 
public health for decades.
  I also support sensible regulatory reforms and have introduced 
legislation that calls for Federal agencies to analyze the cost and 
benefits of proposed regulations, including the impact on job creation 
and consumer prices. This will help cut the tangle of redtape that is 
holding businesses back from expanding and adding jobs. But when it 
comes to the air we breathe, I reject the false choice of pitting the 
environment against the economy because we

[[Page S4412]]

understand that for much of the State of Maine, the environment is the 
economy.
  The people of Maine have always been faithful stewards of our 
environment because we understand its tremendous value to our way of 
life. Maine's unique forests, landscapes, waters, and wildlife are an 
important part of our heritage and have helped shape the economic, 
environmental, and recreational character of our entire State. 
Protecting our Nation's air quality will positively benefit the natural 
beauty of Maine and will improve public health, protecting our children 
and enriching lives.

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