Sulfur Emissions and Midwest Power Plants

The document details the severe impacts of sulfur emissions from coal-fired power plants in the US Midwest, specifically Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It links these emissions to premature deaths, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and environmental degradation including acid rain and haze. The report advocates for the adoption of sulfur-scrubbing technologies and tighter EPA air quality standards to mitigate these risks.

• In 1998, sulfur dioxide emissions from six Midwest states (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) totaled approximately 5.4 million tons per year, which accounted for 28% of all SO2 emissions in the United States.
• Electric generating units in the six-state Midwest region are the primary source of sulfur pollution, emitting nearly four million tons of SO2 annually, with coal combustion responsible for nearly 99% of these utility emissions.
• Sulfur emissions cause significant public health crises in the Midwest, including premature death and respiratory issues. An analysis by Abt Associates estimates that 6,200 deaths per year in the six Midwest states are attributable to sulfate-dominated particulate matter, and 3,700 of these could be prevented by reducing SO2 emissions by 63% beyond phase II of the Acid Rain Program.
• Sulfate particulate matter is the primary driver of visibility impairment (haze) in Midwest parks and cities. In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, sulfate is responsible for 54% of visibility impairment, and the annual average visibility is less than one third of the natural visual range.
• Sulfur emissions lead to acid rain that damages ecosystems. In Ohio, rain typically has a pH below 4.5, compared to above 5.5 in the Great Plain States. This acidity has been linked to growth declines in oaks and reduced species diversity of invertebrates in the sandstone-based soils of southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
• Many older 'grandfathered' power plants (built between 1962 and 1977) avoid modern emissions standards and can emit up to 10 times more SO2 than modern plants, despite the existence of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) 'scrubbers' capable of removing 90-95% of sulfur emissions.

APA

Hill, B., & Baum, E. (2001). Sulfur Emissions and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093513/Midwest_Sulfur.pdf

Chicago

Hill, Bruce, and Ellen Baum. Sulfur Emissions and Midwest Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force, 2001. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093513/Midwest_Sulfur.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hill |first1=Bruce |last2=Baum |first2=Ellen |title=Sulfur Emissions and Midwest Power Plants |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=August 2001 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093513/Midwest_Sulfur.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hill2001sulfur, author = {Hill, Bruce and Baum, Ellen}, title = {{Sulfur Emissions and Midwest Power Plants}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2001}, month = aug, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093513/Midwest_Sulfur.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }