KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released an order Wednesday which instructs Missouri, along with 22 other states, to reduce its air pollution levels.

The order, called the Good Neighbor Rule, focuses on reducing emissions of nitrous oxides from power plants and industrial facilities. These gasses directly contribute to ground-level ozone, also known as smog.

“This action will save thousands of lives and result in cleaner air and better health for millions of people living in downwind communities,” the EPA wrote on its website.

Missouri’s role in these emission reductions is significant: The rule instructs the state’s power plants to reduce their nitrous oxide emissions by 11,230 tons by 2027. That’s a reduction of 61% compared to the state’s 2021 levels — one of the largest in the ruling.

The order also instructed industrial facilities in Missouri to cut their emissions by 2,065 tons by 2026. That’s a reduction of 18% compared to 2019 levels.

The biggest nitrous oxide culprits in the industrial sector are the kilns, boilers, furnaces and incinerators used to manufacture raw materials like cement, metal, glass and chemicals as well as to burn solid waste.

Why does Missouri need to decrease its nitrous oxide emissions?

According to the ruling, Missouri has failed to meet air quality requirements that the EPA established in 2015 under the Clean Air Act.

Now, Missouri’s emissions are impacting the air quality in nearby states like Illinois and Wisconsin, making it harder for them to meet their own clean air goals. As a result, Missouri must reduce its own nitrous oxide emissions dramatically over the next few years.

EPA spokesperson Kellen Ashford told The Star that most of Missouri is in line with the agency’s 2015 emissions goals — but the St. Louis area has more work to do. The city has until next summer to get back in line with nitrous oxide reduction requirements.

...continued

©2023 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.