Provisions of a new mercury emissions standard for coal-fired power plants approved Tuesday by the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission:
— Xcel Energy’s Pawnee Power Station in Brush and Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide plant in Wellington have agreed to cut emissions 80 percent by 2012.
— All coal plants statewide would have to reduce mercury pollution 80 percent by 2014 and 90 percent by 2018.
— A state account and a trust would be formed to hold onto mercury “allowances”—the gap between the state’s overall emissions and what the federal government allows. Power plants won’t be able to bank or sell excess mercury credits to facilities that are over their limits.
— A “soft-landing” clause allows plants that can’t meet their caps despite their best efforts to seek an alternate standard and work with state regulators to come into compliance.
