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Governor proposes emissions limits on diesel generators, gas engines in St. Lawrence County, rest of NY state

Posted 1/8/16

Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a statewide regulation to improve air quality and protect public health by placing limits on emissions from distributed generation sources such as diesel generators …

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Governor proposes emissions limits on diesel generators, gas engines in St. Lawrence County, rest of NY state

Posted

Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a statewide regulation to improve air quality and protect public health by placing limits on emissions from distributed generation sources such as diesel generators and natural gas-fired engines.

The new regulation would align New York State with federal air quality standards and help mitigate climate change.

"Establishing limits on these harmful emissions is a critical step towards protecting air quality, as well as the health of New Yorkers," said Cuomo. "These new standards will reduce pollution, further encourage the development of renewable resources and support this state's efforts to combat climate change."

The proposed rule, 6 NYCRR Part 222, specifically targets nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions and is an important component of New York State's effort to meet the new, stricter ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) by 2018, as required under the federal Clean Air Act.

Nitrogen oxide emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, the principal component of smog. Both ozone and particulate matter can cause adverse health effects, including respiratory problems such as asthma, shortness of breath, coughing and nasal irritation. This new rule also reduces other toxic pollutants caused by diesel fuel combustion and it will encourage the use of non-emitting renewable distributed energy sources.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through Feb. 18, 2016.

The proposed rule will complement New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) program, which is intended to transition New York to a more efficient and cleaner distributed electricity grid that will reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.

The proposed rule can be viewed at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/104274.html.