CHERYL HOGUE
The benefits of reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury from power plants “significantly outweigh” the costs of controlling this pollution, according to a new report by the nonpartisan think tank Resources for the Future (RFF) that examines policy options for curbing t
hese three pollutants.
The RFF study, funded by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, also scrutinizes two types of policies for steeply curbing utilities’ mercury pollution-—one based on control technology, the other on setting a nationwide cap and then allowing facilities to buy and sell emis
sion allowances. RFF concludes that a technology-based policy for tightly controlling mercury would lead to greater net benefits than a cap-and-trade program, which would impose greater costs on electricity generators.
Utilities would be more apt to switch from coal to natural gas if mercury emissions were steeply slashed through a cap-and-trade program and more likely to switch among the types of coal if a technology-based approach was used. Regardless of the type of policy selected, a deep cut in mercury emissio
ns would incidentally lead to substantial reductions in SO2 pollution, thus yielding additional benefits at no further cost, the report says.
The report is available at www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-05-23.pdf.
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