Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. will study new air-quality standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency to determine what actions may likely be required of the company.

The EPA announced new health-based standards for ozone and particulate matter Wednesday (11/27). The health-based standards will translate to emission standards for many different sources, including power plants and vehicles.

"The EPA standards could require new technology to attain further reductions beyond what we had planned," said Lynn Ratzell, manager of PP&L's Environmental Management Division. "We are unsure at this point and will study the new proposals, and will do what's necessary to comply."

The EPA called for a stricter ozone, or smog, standard of about 0.08 parts per million, compared with the current standard that allows a concentration of 0.12 parts per million measured during a one-hour period. The agency also proposed standards on fine particulate matter as small as 2.5 microns in diameter. Under current rules, the EPA focuses on particles 10 microns in diameter.

PP&L has been working hard for the last several years on reducing air emissions and has made great strides, Ratzell said.

"PP&L has significantly reduced the emission of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide from company power plants during the last three years," Ratzell said. "The cuts in both these areas have improved air quality greatly and apply directly to the new standards on ozone and particulate matter proposed by the EPA."

Nitrogen oxide gas is the primary component of power plant emissions that contributes to ozone, or smog. Nitrogen oxide combines with volatile organic compounds and sunlight to create ground-level ozone.

"PP&L has cut nitrogen oxide emissions by about 40 percent since 1994 and further cuts are planned as part of the ongoing regional effort in the Northeast to reduce ozone," Ratzell said.

The large stationary sources of nitrogen oxide, such as power plants, in the Northeast already are part of an ozone attainment program that will require further cuts in the near future.

"The new EPA standards are more likely to require dramatic reductions from smaller stationary sources and mobile sources, such as vehicles," Ratzell said.

In addition to nitrogen oxide reductions, PP&L has reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by about 25 percent since 1994 and expects to reach reductions of 50 percent by 2000.

"Both nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide react in the atmosphere to form very fine particulate matter," Ratzell said. "Our work to reduce these two gases also indirectly reduces the amount of fine particulate matter released from our power plants."

All of PP&L's coal-fired units are equipped with either baghouses or precipitators that capture the larger particulate matter as it's released through the combustion process. The current equipment captures about 99 percent of the particulate matter that currently is regulated.