U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 - 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Contact Information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)
LENEXA, KAN. (DEC. 1, 2023) – This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its latest data on emissions from power plants, including the May to September 2023 ground-level ozone season, which marks the first year of requirements under the Good Neighbor Plan in certain states. In the first summer of the program, power plants in the ten currently participating states decreased smog-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 18%, an important step toward the overall goals of the program.
“This early data shows that the Good Neighbor Plan is a workable and effective rule, using EPA’s proven, flexible framework to deliver pollution reductions while preserving the ability of the power industry to deliver reliable and affordable electricity,” said Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.
NOx emissions from power plants contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, also known as smog. Exposure to ground-level ozone can cause respiratory issues, aggravate asthma and other lung diseases, and lead to missed days of work or school, emergency room visits, and premature deaths. These costly public health impacts can be especially harmful to children and older adults, disproportionately affecting people of color, families with low-incomes, and other vulnerable populations.
The Good Neighbor Plan was finalized in March 2023 for 22 states to reduce pollution that significantly contributes to problems downwind states face in meeting EPA’s 2015 health-based air quality standard for ground-level ozone. The Good Neighbor Plan builds on the highly effective power sector emissions trading programs EPA has been administering under the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and similar regulatory frameworks since the mid-1990s. Requirements for power plants began this year, strengthening the existing NOx emissions trading framework with additional features designed to protect public health by reducing downwind ozone levels while providing adequate flexibilities to affected sources. Requirements for industrial facilities under the Good Neighbor Plan are set to begin in certain states in 2026.
The Good Neighbor Plan's ozone season NOx control program for power plants is currently being implemented in ten states: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The EPA is not currently implementing the Good Neighbor Plan for power plants in the remaining 12 states pursuant to temporary court orders: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Under the suite of cross-state air pollution programs over the past 25 years, power plants have significantly lowered NOx and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions while continuing to deliver electricity to the grid. In 2022, units covered under these programs had a reduction of 70% in annual SO2, 54% in annual NOx, and 53% in ozone season NOx since 2015. These emission reductions benefit public health and are a result of an overall increase in the environmental effectiveness at affected sources as electric generators installed controls, switched to lower emitting fuels, or otherwise reduced their emissions.
Nationally, power plant emissions data for the first three quarters of 2023 show marked decreases compared to the first three quarters of 2022, demonstrating the most significant reduction levels of the last few years. Compared to 2022, for all power plants in the CSAPR or Acid Rain Programs, the 2023 data so far show a 15% decrease in NOx emissions and a 26% decrease in SO2 emissions. These declines in power sector emissions reduce air pollution and protect public health. SO2 emissions contribute to the formation of particulate matter, which can lead to harmful and costly respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
EPA collects detailed SO2, NOx, carbon dioxide, and mercury emission data and other information from power plants across the country. Summary results from the first year of the Good Neighbor Plan are available on the Good Neighbor Plan Results page. Emissions data collected through all of EPA’s power plant programs are posted online and accessible to the public in summary form on the Latest Emission Comparisons page or in more detail on Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMPD). More information about power plants is available on the Power Sector Programs website.
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