Federal Mercury Rule

The Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) was promulagated by the USEPA in May 2005. It required a reduction of mercury emissions from new and existing coal-fired power plants through a cap on emissions expressed as an annual state emission budget that includes two phases of reductions beginning in 2010 and 2018. In February 2008, the D.C. Circuit Court vacated EPA's rule removing power plants from the Clean Air Act list of sources of hazardous air pollutants. At the same time, the Court vacated the CAMR. In February 2009, the Department of Justice, on behalf of EPA, asked the Supreme Court to dismiss EPA's request that the Supreme Court review the D.C. Circuit Court's vacatur of the CAMR. EPA has decided to develop emissions standards for power plants under the Clean air Act (Section 112), consistent with the D.C. Circuit Court's opinion on the CAMR.

Federal Clean Air Mercury Rule [exit DNR]

Federal Register notices

• Reconsideration of the determination that it was not appropriate or necessary to regulate coal-fired electric utility boilers under the hazardous air pollutant provisions of the Clean Air Act - October 28, 2005, Federal Register [PDF 70KB]
• Reconsideration of the Clean Air Mercury Rule - October 28, 2005, Federal Register [PDF 88KB]

Supporting documents

• CAMR Cost and Energy Impacts - Technical Support Document [PDF 67KB]
• Revised New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) Statistical Analysis for Mercury Emissions - October 21, 2005 [PDF 65KB]
• Technical Support Document - Revision of December 2000 Regulatory Finding on the Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and the Removal of Coal and Oil-fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units from the 112(c) list - October 21, 2005 [PDF 1,528KB]

Mercury and Coal-Fire Power Plants || Wisconsin's Mercury Rule And Revisions || Federal Mercury Rule || Mercury in the Environment || Other Sources of Information on Mercury || Mercury Contacts