Abstract
One of the objectives of US environmental regulations was to reduce industrial air pollution emissions, especially from the electric utility industry, the major industrial air polluter. In this study, a comparative analysis of air pollution emissions from fossil-fuel-burning electric utility plants is conducted. The analysis focuses on a 12-yr period from 1975 to 1987 for three air pollutants: particulates, surfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.
The results indicate that particulate emissions have been significantly reduced but that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are still major problems for a number of plants. Furthermore, the disparity in the performance by plants indicates that by using current technology, the industry as a whole could greatly reduce these emissions. These results have policy implication for future environmental legislation.
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Freedman, M., Jaggi, B. Comparative analysis of air pollution emissions by electric utilities: Public policy implications. Environmental Management 15, 635–646 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02589623
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02589623