Eastern United States, utilization

Gulf intended to produce chiefly distillate fuel oil in the West Virginia plant. This is a low sulfur (less than 0.3 percent) nonpolluting fuel for the production of electrical power and steam in the eastern United States, where utilities and industry presently use natural petroleum fuel oil. Gulf claimed that a larger commercial-size plant processing 30,000 tons of coal daily would yield 60,000 barrels of distillate fuel oil or enough to meet the electrical demands of a city with one million inhabitants. 

A more effective approach to clean air policy, and one example of a sensible program being implemented by the federal government, is the Clean Air Interstate Rule or CAIR, intended to reduce emissions of particulate matter and NO in the eastern United States. EPA finalized the CAIR rules on March 10, 2005 in response to a finding of non-attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter and ozone formation. CAIR requires reductions in SOj and NOj emissions from coal-fired power plants the emissions limits spelled out in the CAIR plan affect electric utilities in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia. Emissions reductions are to be achieved through a market-based cap-and-trade system similar to other air pollution programs EPA has put into practice over the last few decades. 

In the United States, the largest concentration of atmospheric vanadium occurs over Eastern seaboard cities where residual fuels of high vanadium content from Venezuela are burned ia utility boilers. Coal ash ia the atmosphere also coataias vanadium (36). Ambient air samples from New York and Boston contain as much as 600—1300 ng V/m, whereas air samples from Los Angeles and Honolulu contained 1—12 ng V/m. Adverse pubHc health effects attributable to vanadium ia the ambieat air have aot beea deteroiiaed. lacreased emphasis by iadustry oa controlling all plant emissions may have resulted ia more internal reclamation and recycle of vanadium catalysts. An apparent drop ia consumption of vanadium chemicals ia the United States since 1974 may be attributed, in part, to such reclamation activities. 

NPCC covers the northeastern United. States and central and eastern Canada. NPCC s responsibility is to develop appropriate reliability criteria and guides, monitor the individual utility and participants performance with these protocols, and thereby ensure that the individual bulk systems and therefore the... 

The types of mineral matter found In a particular deposit depend on the geography of the deposit. Those deposits found In the eastern part of the United States have mineral matter which Is rich In clay, quartz and pyrite. As a result utilities which burn eastern higher-sulfur coals must now use equipment which can reduce the sulfur oxides which are released. The deposits In the western parts of the U.S. frequently have mineral matter characterized by high calcite and sodium and lower clay and pyrite contents. The low sulfur content and some Inherent ability to capture liberated sulfur oxides with calcium compounds has led to the use of the low sulfur western coals for a growing part of the U.S. power generation market. 

All this swirling around costs taxpayer money and does little to reduce the acid rain problem. The trees in the northeast portion of the United States and in Eastern Canada continue to die and more lakes are sterilized. The primary result of the activity of both governments is the support of the bureaucracies funding research and their staffs. The problem continues. Since 1978 the United States Department of Energy has invested 15 billion in fossil energy research. Of this 58% was spent on coal conversion utilization, 24% on electricity Production, 14% oil gas Production and 4% on environmental characterization control. 

Sulfur dioxide is a result of the combustion of fuels that contain sulfur, primarily coal and oil. Some coal has sulfur contents as high as 6% in the United States and 8% in China. Because of restrictions on sulfur dioxide emissions in the United States, most utilities now favor Western US coal, which is much lower in sulfur content than most Eastern coal. High concentrations of SO2 have many of the similar effects of other pollutants, including increased respiratory problems and the aggravation of cardiovascular illnesses. Electricity generation is responsible for over 60% of SO2 emissions in the United States. 

ROM coal generally has 5%-40% of ash content and 0.34% of sulfur content depending on the geological conditions and mining technique used. Coal cleaning, therefore, is often required to remove excessive impurities for efficient and environmentally safe utilization of coal. In the United States, the coal cleaning is most common at Eastern and Midwestern mines. 

Many coals of the Western United States (and some eastern US coals) are naturally low in sulfur and can be used to meet the SO2 compliance requirements. Blending coals of different sulfur contents to achieve a mix that is in compliance with applicable regulation is also common. Wet FGD systems are currently installed on at least one-quarter of the coal-fired utility generating capacity in the United States. 

Phase 1 began in 1995 and affects 263 units at 110 mostly coal-burning electric utility plants located in 21 eastern and midwestern states. An additional 182 units joined Phase I of the program as substitution or compensating units, bringing the total of Phase 1 affected units to 445. Emissions data indicate that 1995 SO emissions at these units nationwide were reduced by almost 40% below their required level. 

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