Last year, the Clean Air Act was believed to reduce the number of nationwide heart attacks by 130,000, asthma attacks by 1.7 million and premature morality cases by 160,000, among many other benefits, according to the EPA.

Consequently, since 2009, the Obama Administration has been focused on developing and passing further rules and standards in order to continue to improve the health and quality of life of millions of Americans, while also further extending their life expectancies.

On an annual basis, the Clean Air Act, which was passed by Congress in 1963 and amended as recently as 1990, is believed to offer Americans more than $30 in benefits for every dollar that is invested in the reduction of harmful pollutants.

Last year, the act was believed to reduce the number of nationwide heart attacks by 130,000, asthma attacks by 1.7 million and premature morality cases by 160,000, among many other benefits, according to the EPA.

Consequently, since 2009, the Obama Administration has been focused on developing and passing further rules and standards in order to continue to improve the health and quality of life of millions of Americans, while also further extending their life expectancies.

One rule, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), was finalized by the EPA on July 6th. While replacing 2005’s Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), the CSAPR mainly requires 28 states to diminish power plant emissions, which have been proven to generate harmful pollution levels in other states throughout the country.

According to the EPA’s recent estimates, the CSAPR is believed to offer the American public a variety of benefits in the near future; in 2014, the rule will likely reduce acute bronchitis cases by 19,000, hospital visits by 19,000 and premature mortality cases by roughly 13,000 to 34,000.

In 2014, the rule will lead to approximately $120 to $280 billion in health and environmental benefits, while only costing $800 million. The EPA estimates that the CSAPR will improve air quality for more than 240 million Americans in various regions of the U.S.

As Americans anticipate the future benefits that may be noticed as a result of the CSAPR, one final statistic – the reduction of power plant SO2 emissions by 73 percent and NOx emissions by 54 percent in 2014, compared to 2005 levels – also cannot be ignored.

At the same time, the EPA’s proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for nationwide power plants has recently been fully developed. The standards are expected to decrease power plants’ mercury and acid gas pollution emissions throughout the coming years; such reductions are expected to prevent thousands of American illnesses, while also reducing premature deaths by roughly 17,000 annually.

By decreasing air pollutant emissions from oil- and coal-fired power plants, the EPA believes national health costs will be reduced by $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016 alone. The EPA accepted public comments regarding MATS until Aug. 4, 2011; MATS have yet to be approved by Congress.

As American power plant owners and employees prepare for the future, they may be interested in receiving answers to two questions – and soon.

First, will these rules and standards ever actually become regulations? Also, when – and how – will they impact nationwide power plants?

For more information, please visit this link.