United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-02-28 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-252 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252 P0b002ee1803782bc f:d05252 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252 GAO-05-252 Air pollution control Comparative analysis Cost analysis Cost effectiveness analysis Economic analysis Economic policies Environmental law Environmental monitoring Environmental policies Federal regulations Financial analysis Hazardous substances Health hazards Pollution control Powerplants Policies and procedures Other Written Product A18376 Mercury is a toxic element that can cause neurological disorders in children. In January 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed two options for limiting mercury from power plants, and plans to finalize a rule in March 2005. The first would require each plant to meet emissions standards reflecting the application of control technology (the technology-based option), while the second would enable plants to either reduce emissions or buy excess credits from other plants (the cap-and-trade option). EPA received over 680,000 written comments on the proposal. EPA is directed by statute and executive order to analyze the costs and benefits of proposed rules, and the agency summarized its analysis underlying the two options in the proposal. In this context, GAO was asked to assess the usefulness of EPA's economic analysis for decision making. In doing so, GAO neither independently estimated the options' costs and benefits nor evaluated the process for developing the options or their consistency with the Clean Air Act, as amended. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252.pdf GAO-05-252 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-252 Other Written Product GAO-05-252; Clean Air Act: Observations on EPA's Cost-Benefit Analysis of Its Mercury Control Options; Air pollution control Comparative analysis Cost analysis Cost effectiveness analysis Economic analysis Economic policies Environmental law Environmental monitoring Environmental policies Federal regulations Financial analysis Hazardous substances Health hazards Pollution control Powerplants Policies and procedures Volume 109 Page 48 109 Stat. 48 Public Law 104-4