Earth Equity News

Lamar Alexander Pushing Bill to Reinstate NO and SO2 Regulations Shot Down for Federal Court. By Anne Paine, Tennessean, September 17, 2008. "Sen. Lamar Alexander is pushing [legislation] to reinstate -- at least temporarily -- a rule a federal court shot down in July that called for reducing emissions at coal-fired plants in 28 states... The Clean Air Interstate Rule, nullified by a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., had intended to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide beginning in 2009 and sulfur dioxide in 2010… TVA was among the electric utilities in the process of adding controls to cut its emissions to meet the law [and] officials at the federal agency, which provides electricity throughout Tennessee and parts of six other states, have said they intend to continue… The discussion included not just reinstating part of the interstate clean air rule, but making it a temporary bridge while [the] law is strengthened and expanded to include reductions of the neurotoxin mercury, which can end up in waterways and fish, and carbon, which adds to global warming… Bob Tuke, a Nashville attorney who is Alexander's Democratic opponent in the November election for U.S. Senate, said a stop-gap rule is needed but said what disappoints him is that Alexander hasn't done more before this… [for example, consistently opposing] tax credits for wind technology. 'We need to look at the air quality altogether,' Tuke said."