New EPA Law Would Regulate Pollution in Kentucky

The Louisville area has had six Air Quality Alerts because of high ozone levels so far this year.But the Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to unveil a new rule this week that could eventually reduce those ozone levels.The Clean Air Transport Rule will affect states differently. Some will have to regulate both fine particle pollution and ozone, some will have to regulate one or the other, and some won’t be affected at all. Kentucky, as well as the entire Ohio River Valley, is among the 21 states that will have to reduce both types of pollution.Area power plants will have to install pollution controls to comply with the rule, which probably won’t go into effect for several years.The EPA issued the proposed rule a year ago, and the final rule is expected this week. The agency estimates this rule and other actions will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions 71 percent and nitrogen oxides 52 percent by 2014. They say these reductions will improve air quality and public health.