Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0491-4947
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2012-02-21T05:00Z

SO2 Changes:  As a result of this final action, the agency is planning to increase the Texas state emissions budget for sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 50,517 tons, representing a 21% increase over the SO2 emissions budget originally set for Texas. 
In last summer's final CSAPR rule, Texas' SO2 budget was 243,954 tons.  The revisions proposal increased that budget by 29%, and, again, as a result of this final revisions notice, the budget has increased by 21% relative to the previous final budget.

If the Agency were to finalize the approach used in the revisions proposal, we would be inviting requests from additional sources  -- who would notice that we were finalizing for a couple of facilities in Texas a change from the approach used for everyone in the final CSAPR notice -- to use performance data based on their worst performing year.  Similarly, we would be inviting litigation from environmental advocates who would be opposed to increasing the budgets at all.  

Instead, we acknowledge the mistake in using the performance data from one year for Texas in the revisions proposal, and the correction of that mistake in this final notice. 

While the proposed revisions rule would have provided Luminant, the biggest allowance-recipient in TX, with an additional 28K SO2 allowances, the final revisions rule still provides Luminant with an additional 21K SO2 allowances.  The value of these additional allowances for 2012 is estimated to be $12.6 million.
As a result, the SO2 allowance allocation for Luminant would increase to approximately 100,000 tons, representing a 27% increase over the company's allocation in the final CSAPR.
NOx Changes:  In last summer's final CSAPR rule, Texas' annual NOx budget was 133,595 tons.  The revisions proposal increased that budget by 1% and as a result of this final and direct final revisions notice, the budget has increased by 3% relative to the previous final budget.
In last summer's final CSAPR rule, Texas' ozone season NOx budget was 63,043 tons.  The revisions proposal increased that budget by 2%, and as a result of this final and direct final revisions notice, the budget has increased by 4% relative to the previous final budget.
In addition, the allocation of annual NOX allowances for Luminant under the final and direct final revisions rule would increase by 2,654, representing an 8% increase over the company's allocation in the final CSAPR.  The value of these additional allowances for 2012 is estimated to be $1.3 million.
The allocation of ozone season NOX allowances for Luminant under the final and direct final revisions rule would increase by 1,218 tons , representing an 8% increase over the company's allocation in the final CSAPR.  The value of these additional allowances for 2012 is estimated to be $1.6 million.
For the entire State of Texas, relative to the original final budgets, the value of the increase in the budgets for 2012 is estimated to be $30.3 million for the SO2 budget increase, $2.1 million for the annual NOx budget increase, and $3.3 million for the ozone season NOx budget increase, adding up to a total value of the increase for 2012 of $35.6 million.