reliability-only_dispatch-927634c73b3e6c63.pdf

The report examines the public health and environmental impacts of delaying compliance with the Air Toxics Rule for coal- and oil-fired power plants. It proposes a 'Reliability-Only Dispatch' mechanism, which would restrict units granted compliance extensions to operate only when absolutely necessary for grid reliability, rather than allowing 'business as usual' operations. Using modeling and case studies like the Cromby-Eddystone agreement, the author argues this approach can significantly reduce premature deaths and health damages compared to unrestricted extensions.

• The EPA estimates that the Air Toxics Rule will provide significant annual health benefits, including the prevention of 6,800 to 17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 non-fatal heart attacks, and hundreds of thousands of significant illnesses.
• Unrestricted one-year compliance extensions for EGUs could lead to substantial increases in emissions; modeling suggests annual mercury emissions could increase by 2.1 to 5.8 tons (32-90%) and SO2 emissions by 0.3 to 0.9 million tons (18-51%) over fully implemented levels.
• A properly designed Reliability-Only Dispatch approach is estimated to avoid nearly 4,000 premature deaths and save $29 billion in monetized health damages over a one-year extension period compared to unrestricted operations.
• The report argues that 'business as usual' dispatch rules create an incentive to delay pollution controls because uncontrolled units are typically lower-cost to operate, making them more likely to be dispatched by transmission system operators.
• The Cromby-Eddystone agreement in Pennsylvania serves as a successful model for Reliability-Only Dispatch, where units were permitted to operate only for 'Reliability Purposes' (defined as alleviating a 'Transmission Security Emergency') until their retirement dates.
• The Joint RTO Commenters proposed a 'Reliability Safeguard' for 'Reliability Critical Units' that would grant extensions only if replacement resources or transmission upgrades take over three years to complete, though the report notes this should be coupled with Reliability-Only Dispatch to maximize health protections.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). reliability-only_dispatch-927634c73b3e6c63.pdf. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093602/Reliability-Only_Dispatch.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. reliability-only_dispatch-927634c73b3e6c63.pdf. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093602/Reliability-Only_Dispatch.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=reliability-only_dispatch-927634c73b3e6c63.pdf |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093602/Reliability-Only_Dispatch.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendreliabilityonlydispatch927634c73b3e6c63pdf, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{reliability-only\_dispatch-927634c73b3e6c63.pdf}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093602/Reliability-Only_Dispatch.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }