EPA Orders 22 States to Reduce Flow of Smog-Causing Emissions

WASHINGTON — Twenty-two states from Missouri to Massachusetts were ordered Thursday to reduce smog-causing emissions as the Environmental Protection Agency moved to stem the flow of air pollution from the Midwest to the Northeast.

The primary target of the tougher federal controls, which were estimated to cost $17 billion over the next decade, will be scores of coal-burning power plants in the Midwest and Ohio Valley.

EPA Administrator Carol Browner said the additional cuts in nitrogen oxide releases will mean cleaner air for 138 million Americans and will help local officials meet new, tougher air quality standards announced last year.

“Thousands of cases of smog-related illnesses, like bronchitis and exacerbated cases of childhood asthma, will help be prevented each year,” Browner said. She estimated the annual health benefits at $3.4 billion.

Nitrogen oxide is a component of ozone, an essential part of smog during the summer months.

Ohio Gov. George Voinovich accused the EPA of pursuing “a heavy-handed punitive approach” and said the requirements will cause economic hardship to utilities and businesses in his state.

The EPA has estimated the cost of the additional pollution controls at $1.7 billion annually in amortized capital costs and new operating expenses if most of the reductions are achieved from power plants.

It is the first effort by the EPA to address concerns about the impact of long-range pollution from Midwest and Ohio Valley power plants on urban centers in the Northeast, where officials are struggling to meet federal air quality requirements.