Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR)
The Clean Air Mercury Rule is the first federal regulation to reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are the largest remaining sources of mercury emissions in the country.
CAMR establishes “standards of performance” limiting mercury emissions from new and existing coal–fired power plants, and creates a voluntary, market-based cap-and-trade program that, like the CAIR program, will reduce utility emissions in two phases, the second of which will require the implementation of new technology.
As with CAIR, the implementation of CAMR may pose a considerable financial liability to organizations that fail to prepare for compliance. A number of states have chosen to achieve their CAMR reductions through performance standard regulations, while others will participate in the EPA trading program but impose tougher restrictions than those mandated by the EPA.
Currently, a number of states have filed suit against the EPA, charging that a cap- and-trade program is not appropriate due to mercury hot spots created in local areas where the heavy metal is emitted. A decision on the suit is expected to be released by June 2008.