Air Pollution Control Laws
and Regulations
&
Air Pollution Control Philosophies
• Air Pollution, its causes and effects, cost of air pollution
• Air Pollution control Laws and Regulations
• Air Pollution Control Philosophies
Air Pollution is not a joke. Air Pollution
will make you Choke
Air Pollution
• Most air pollution control engineers works with permits and also the
major facilities
• These permits are authorized by local, state, or federal authorities,
normally, expressed as:
• The emissions of pollutant X from the main stack factory Y shall not
exceed Z pound per hours
• Federal regulations direct the states to require a permit for each
facility that has the potential to emit 100 tons/ Yr of criteria
pollutants and 25 ton/ Yr of Hazardous pollutants.
• If the facility (emitter) is located in a severely polluted area, then the
values become smaller.
• Automobiles and gasoline emissions are directly regulated by the EPA
• Automobile industry needs State and EPA permits
Programs and Activities
• Air Quality and Emissions Limitations
• This section of the act declares that protecting and enhancing the
nation's air quality promotes public health
• The law encourages prevention of regional air pollution and control
programs
• It also provides technical and financial assistance for air pollution
prevention at both state and local governments
• Clean Fuel Vehicles
• The Clean Fuel Vehicle programs focused on
alternative fuel use and petroleum fuels that met
low emission vehicle (LEV) levels
• Compressed natural gas, ethanol, methanol,
liquefied petroleum gas and electricity are examples
of cleaner alternative fuel
• Programs such as the California Clean Fuels Program
and pilot program are increasing demand that for
new fuels to be developed to reduce harmful
emissions
(cleanest possible air philosophy)
 Example: England 1863
 Leblanc factory for soda ash (Na2CO3)
 Large amounts of byproduct (HCl) were emitted as vapor
 HCl devastated the vegetation = problems with the industry
Alkali-inspectors found the best technique to reduce emissions at
the factory level
 The technique was enforced on all other factories emitting HCl

 This philosophy was the basis of most air pollution control activities
between 1863 and 1970
 Recent air pollution laws – 2 sections are pure emission standards
New Source Performance
Standard (NSPS)
 It blocks a firm from “pollution
shopping” = searching for the
least stringent air pollution
standard state
 Any regulation standard below
the NSPS leads to a polluted air
National Emissions Standards
for Hazardous Air Pollutants
(NESHAP)
 This regulation covers
pollutants which causes harm
without any threshold
Better to apply the toughest
control procedures to limit
emissions
The next two philosophies represent future alternatives.
Laws based on an emission tax philosophy would tax each
emitter of major pollutants according to its emission rate; – e.g.
X cents per pound of pollutant Y for all emitters.
This tax rate would be set so that most major polluters would
find it more economical to install pollution control equipment
than pay the taxes.
The emission tax philosophy assumes that the environment has
natural removal mechanisms for pollutants, with CFC’s as a
possible exception.
Emission taxes have also been proposed in combination with
air quality standard philosophy : in this combination, emission
taxes would act as an added incentive to reduce emissions to
lower levels than those required to meet air quality standards.
This philosophy also assume that for any contamination, the
environment has a renewable absorptive and/or dispersive
capacities.
The cost-benefit philosophy assumes that there are no
thresholds at all or there are very low thresholds.
This philosophy suggests
How much damage can we stand
 How much we are willing to spend to control damage
beyond the tolerance
The aim of this philosophy is to solve cost-benefit minimization.
It is highly cost-effective.
Cost distribution
If pollutants are emitted by autos
–Cost and damages are distributed on the population
If the emitter is an industry
–It can injure the rest of the community
–Costs will be unequally distributed
The figure is great simplification,
 it shows one control cost curve
 One damage cost curve
 And one atmospheric concentration
In reality there is:
 a damage curve for each individual exposed to air pollution
 Control curve for each emitter
 And concentration dimension for each pollutant at each
location
 The simple application shown in the figure does not consider
the question :
“ Whose costs? Whose benefits? ‘’
What is a perfect philosophy?
Air pollution control laws and regulations and Air Pollution Control Philosophies
Air pollution control laws and regulations and Air Pollution Control Philosophies

Air pollution control laws and regulations and Air Pollution Control Philosophies

  • 1.
    Air Pollution ControlLaws and Regulations & Air Pollution Control Philosophies
  • 2.
    • Air Pollution,its causes and effects, cost of air pollution • Air Pollution control Laws and Regulations • Air Pollution Control Philosophies
  • 3.
    Air Pollution isnot a joke. Air Pollution will make you Choke
  • 6.
  • 10.
    • Most airpollution control engineers works with permits and also the major facilities • These permits are authorized by local, state, or federal authorities, normally, expressed as: • The emissions of pollutant X from the main stack factory Y shall not exceed Z pound per hours
  • 11.
    • Federal regulationsdirect the states to require a permit for each facility that has the potential to emit 100 tons/ Yr of criteria pollutants and 25 ton/ Yr of Hazardous pollutants.
  • 12.
    • If thefacility (emitter) is located in a severely polluted area, then the values become smaller. • Automobiles and gasoline emissions are directly regulated by the EPA • Automobile industry needs State and EPA permits
  • 14.
    Programs and Activities •Air Quality and Emissions Limitations • This section of the act declares that protecting and enhancing the nation's air quality promotes public health • The law encourages prevention of regional air pollution and control programs • It also provides technical and financial assistance for air pollution prevention at both state and local governments
  • 15.
    • Clean FuelVehicles • The Clean Fuel Vehicle programs focused on alternative fuel use and petroleum fuels that met low emission vehicle (LEV) levels • Compressed natural gas, ethanol, methanol, liquefied petroleum gas and electricity are examples of cleaner alternative fuel • Programs such as the California Clean Fuels Program and pilot program are increasing demand that for new fuels to be developed to reduce harmful emissions
  • 18.
  • 20.
     Example: England1863  Leblanc factory for soda ash (Na2CO3)  Large amounts of byproduct (HCl) were emitted as vapor  HCl devastated the vegetation = problems with the industry Alkali-inspectors found the best technique to reduce emissions at the factory level  The technique was enforced on all other factories emitting HCl
  • 21.
  • 22.
     This philosophywas the basis of most air pollution control activities between 1863 and 1970  Recent air pollution laws – 2 sections are pure emission standards
  • 23.
    New Source Performance Standard(NSPS)  It blocks a firm from “pollution shopping” = searching for the least stringent air pollution standard state  Any regulation standard below the NSPS leads to a polluted air National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)  This regulation covers pollutants which causes harm without any threshold Better to apply the toughest control procedures to limit emissions
  • 30.
    The next twophilosophies represent future alternatives. Laws based on an emission tax philosophy would tax each emitter of major pollutants according to its emission rate; – e.g. X cents per pound of pollutant Y for all emitters. This tax rate would be set so that most major polluters would find it more economical to install pollution control equipment than pay the taxes.
  • 31.
    The emission taxphilosophy assumes that the environment has natural removal mechanisms for pollutants, with CFC’s as a possible exception. Emission taxes have also been proposed in combination with air quality standard philosophy : in this combination, emission taxes would act as an added incentive to reduce emissions to lower levels than those required to meet air quality standards. This philosophy also assume that for any contamination, the environment has a renewable absorptive and/or dispersive capacities.
  • 33.
    The cost-benefit philosophyassumes that there are no thresholds at all or there are very low thresholds. This philosophy suggests How much damage can we stand  How much we are willing to spend to control damage beyond the tolerance The aim of this philosophy is to solve cost-benefit minimization. It is highly cost-effective.
  • 34.
    Cost distribution If pollutantsare emitted by autos –Cost and damages are distributed on the population If the emitter is an industry –It can injure the rest of the community –Costs will be unequally distributed
  • 36.
    The figure isgreat simplification,  it shows one control cost curve  One damage cost curve  And one atmospheric concentration In reality there is:  a damage curve for each individual exposed to air pollution  Control curve for each emitter  And concentration dimension for each pollutant at each location
  • 37.
     The simpleapplication shown in the figure does not consider the question : “ Whose costs? Whose benefits? ‘’
  • 38.
    What is aperfect philosophy?