1977 Clean Air Act: cheapest way to clean up the environment

The Clean Air Act of 1970 set maximum emission standards for sulfur dioxide in new coal-fired power plants. But it was left up to the utilities to decide whether to use low-sulfur coal, scrubbers, or other means. Congress passed the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments. It mandates that all new coal-fired plants, in effect, use scrubbers - even if there is no sulfur in the coal. The utility industry and many engineering experts feel the mandatory scrubber requirement is both illogical and extremely wasteful of scarce natural resources, especially with inflation so high. The American public is to pick up this investment. Rather than forcing all new power plants to install scrubbers, University of Utah's chemical engineering professor Noel deNevers argues it would be better to subsidize eastern coal or tax western coal. This would be the simplest way to balance eastern and western coal interests. (MCW)