Effects Of Air Quality Requirements On Coal Supply

"The primary purpose of this report is to place in perspective estimated future supply/demand patterns for coal in relation to air quality standards in the electric utility, industrial, and residential/commercial markets of the conterminous United States. Other objectives are to provide guidance to industry, the Government, and the public in effecting a workable balance between environmental goals and economic requirements within the framework of the Nation's overall social structure; and to serve as a base for special studies, evaluations, and analyses pertaining to interrelationships of coal supply and demand, and potentials for coal as a substitute for other energy sources."--Introduction.

Thirteen pieces of federal legislation that require sulfur emission reductions by power plants and other coal-burning fa­cilities are currently pending. This book is drawn from the first con­ference to address the issue of what the costs of compliance with this legislation will be, with a special emphasis on the Midwest region. A major coal-producing area, the Midwest economy will suffer significantly in terms of goods and ser­vices produced with electricity and in jobs lost. The participants represent utility, coal, and transportation industries, as well as academia, environmentalists, state and federal regulatory agencies, and the United Mine Workers of America. The critical issues they address include eco­nomic modeling and forecasting the re­sults of acid rain legislation, the effects on transportation, air pollution control and the environment, state and federal regulations, and a search for solutions.

Originally published in 1979, this book discusses the model developed to deal with air pollution from coal fired power plants, but it broadly also illustrates how available scientific information can be organized to improve our understanding of pollution control. This information enables economists to discuss the relevant consequences of specific air pollution abatement strategies. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of a computer based environmental model, the model is applied to a specific case study. The object of the case study is the control of air pollution from a coal-fired, electrical generating station in New Haven, USA. The research contained in this volume advances applied risk analysis by combining the insights of economics and environmental sciences.