Environment

Cleaner Air Op/Ed from Chris Saxman While much attention has been focused on the protracted budget negotiations in this year's legislative session, very little attention has been paid to all the good work that was accomplished. Often this work is non-controversial, gaining broad bi-partisan support, which may not make for great headlines, but it is important as we work together to make Virginia a better place to live, work and raise our families. As a part-time legislature, we often have competing themes of doing too little or too much. The best thing legislators can do is inform the public as best we can, and let the people make up their minds. House Bill 1055(Reid-Saxman) is the culmination of three years of work that will significantly reduce mercury, sulfur dioxide (SOx) and nitrous oxide(NOx) emissions. These reductions are deeper than federal requirements and, for mercury, three years AHEAD of already established federal guidelines for "large emitter" facilities. In fact, as a result of the requirements set forward in HB1055, mercury emissions will be reduced by 85%. Virginia 's air, especially that in the Shenandoah Valley , will be cleaner sooner. You might not have heard about this important bill because the final draft passed both the House and the Senate unanimously. There was never a negative vote on this bill in any subcommittee, committee or floor vote taken. Not one. While it took us three years to get it done, it was worth the time and effort put into getting everyone on board with what we were hoping to accomplish. Good legislation takes time, but in the end we all worked together and passed a very good bill. We are accomplishing these air emission reductions by using a cap and trade program. This means that the annual amount of a pollutant is capped and emitters can comply either by reducing actual emissions or by buying emission credits from those who have over-complied. In addition, this bill restricts the cap and trade policy to trading within the same company and within 200 kilometers of Virginia 's border. By encouraging over compliance in plants that are up wind of the Shenandoah Valley , our air will be cleaner sooner than the federal government requires. This type of program has proven to be very successful in other areas of environmental clean-up-and a similar program was put in place last year to take important steps towards cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay . Another important component of the bill was to prohibit electric generating systems and facilities in non-attainment areas, such as Northern Virginia , from complying with mercury standards by purchasing allowances. The Air Pollution Control Board may also prohibit compliance through purchasing allowances for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxides in such areas as well. Though they can sell excess mercury credits, they cannot demonstrate compliance under the state-specific rule by purchasing credits. This will force emitters to make actual reductions through the installation of hardware that will clean the air. We also put language in the bill that will study mercury reduction and deposition with a report due back to the General Assembly in two years. The Department of Environmental Quality has until October, 2008 to produce a report based on their conducting a detailed assessment of mercury deposition and address concerns over possible "hot spots" of mercury deposition. Sometimes it is easy to get distracted by the more controversial and partisan debates during the legislative session, but there is important work that is being done to the benefit of all Virginians. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are working together on significant legislation that will make a difference. HB 1055 is one of those examples. It may just be one bill out of the thousands we considered this year, but it is one that I am particularly proud to have worked so closely on for the past few years.