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The report evaluates a 'Power Switch' scenario for Japan's power sector, which emphasizes renewable energy, natural gas substitution for coal, energy efficiency, and a gradual nuclear phase-out. Compared to a Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, the Power Switch approach could reduce 2020 GHG emissions by 31%, avoiding nearly 2.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent between 2000 and 2020. The net cost of this transition is estimated at 1.1 trillion yen over the period, or 850 JPY per tonne of CO2 equivalent, largely offset by reduced fuel import costs.

The report applies a full cost accounting (FCA) approach to quantify the externalities of thermal power production in Eastern Canada, focusing on air pollution (SOx, NOx, VOC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It finds that coal-fired power generates the highest externalities, with central estimates of $0.0394/kWh, which exceeds its marginal production cost of approximately $0.026/kWh. The study argues that internalizing these costs would shift investment toward natural gas, demand-side management, and renewable energy, and warns that Canada's Kyoto compliance strategy may forego domestic health co-benefits by favoring international emission credits over domestic reductions.

The report examines the significant water demands of fossil fuel power plants in the Interior West, highlighting the environmental risks of cooling systems and the potential for water savings through dry cooling, energy efficiency, and renewables.

The document argues that coal-fired power plants are the largest unregulated source of mercury in the U.S., contributing significantly to the contamination of fish in the Midwest. It details how mercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains, posing severe risks to the central nervous system of fetuses and children, as well as harming wildlife like common loons and otters. The report highlights the economic threat to the regional fishing industry and advocates for stringent federal and state emission limits and better regulation of coal combustion waste.

The report details the impact of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired power plants in six Midwest states, highlighting that these plants account for 30 percent of total annual regional emissions. It argues that current EPA regulations, such as the summertime-only SIP call, are insufficient because they ignore wintertime pollution and exclude certain states. The document links NOx to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, premature deaths, and crop yield losses. Environmental impacts include acid rain, loss of species diversity, and the Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone'. The author advocates for mandatory year-round modern emission controls, such as Selective Catalytic Removal (SCR), for all 'grandfathered' plants.

The report details how African Americans are disproportionately exposed to power plant emissions due to residential concentration in urban centers and proximity to facilities. It links these emissions to higher rates of asthma, infant mortality, and mercury exposure, while highlighting the compounding effects of poverty and lack of healthcare. The authors advocate for new legislation to reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and carbon dioxide, and specifically call for the elimination of the 'grandfather' exemption in the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program.

The report details how power plant emissions—including particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and mercury—disproportionately harm children due to their developing physiology and higher activity levels. It links these pollutants to asthma, stunted lung growth, neurological deficits, and infant mortality, while advocating for nationwide emission caps and a transition to cleaner energy.

The report highlights that six Midwest states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio) are home to 140 power plants that release approximately 2% of global man-made CO2 and 25% of all US power plant CO2. It predicts that without aggressive emissions reductions, the region could see temperature increases of 5-10°F in the 21st century, leading to significant risks for the Great Lakes water levels, crop yields, and human health. The document advocates for cleaning up old coal plants, transitioning to renewable energy, and increasing individual energy efficiency to mitigate these risks.

The Clean Air Task Force argues that the National Coal Council's claim that 40,000 MW of capacity could be recovered from old coal plants by relaxing New Source Review (NSR) rules is flawed. The report asserts that a boom in new natural gas generation—estimated at 260,000 MW likely to come online by 2005—negates the need for such recovery. It further claims that recovering capacity from old plants would be expensive and difficult, as most deratings occur in small increments across 1,200 units. Finally, it argues that NSR enforcement provides far greater emission reductions than the efficiency (heat rate) improvements proposed by the industry.

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.

The report argues that 51 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. have illegally avoided modern pollution controls by exploiting a 'grandfathering' loophole in the Clean Air Act, leading to significant public health crises. Drawing on data from Abt Associates, the Clean Air Task Force estimates that these plants cause between 5,500 and 9,000 premature deaths and 107,000 to 170,000 asthma attacks annually. The report highlights a 'transport of death and disease' where pollution from plants in the Midwest and Southeast impacts the Northeast. It criticizes the Bush Administration's 2001 review of NSR policy as prioritizing industry efficiency over public health and calls for the closure of the 'lethal loophole' through nationwide emission caps on nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide.

The study monitored dust deposition near coal-fired power stations in North Yorkshire over two years, identifying a significant contribution of cenospheres from the Drax Power Station fly-ash tip to dust levels in the village of Barlow.

The AES Corporation, an independent power producer, faced a conflict between its strategy of using low-cost coal for electricity generation and its commitment to social responsibility, specifically regarding greenhouse gas emissions. For its Thames plant in Connecticut, which was projected to emit over 15 million tons of carbon over 40 years, the company evaluated four offset alternatives: promoting energy conservation through lighting retrofits, employing carbon scrubbing technology, implementing reforestation projects in tropical developing countries, or shifting its long-term strategy toward natural gas and renewables. While natural gas and renewables offered lower emissions, they presented higher operating costs or intermittency issues. Reforestation was identified as a cost-effective method to sequester carbon while providing additional social benefits.

The document outlines a proposal by AES Corporation, advised by the World Resources Institute (WRI), to implement a reforestation project in a tropical developing country. The project was designed to offset carbon dioxide emissions contributing to greenhouse gas buildup and global climate change, with the goal of maintaining AES's position as a low-cost supplier of clean coal-fired power while providing positive social implications.

The AES Corporation partnered with the World Resources Institute and CARE to fund a reforestation project in Guatemala to offset carbon dioxide emissions from its Thames power plant. The project aimed to plant 52 million trees over ten years to sequester 19 million tons of carbon, leveraging a $2 million AES grant into $14.5 million of total funding. While the initiative received mixed press and investor reactions, it aligned with the company's corporate value of social responsibility. Subsequently, AES established a Sustainability Task Force in 1991, which concluded that the company should hedge its portfolio by developing natural gas projects alongside coal to address long-term economic and environmental sustainability.

The document details Alberta's heavy reliance on coal for electricity, noting that in 2014, 68% of the province's electricity came from coal, with six plants emitting approximately 43 megatonnes of greenhouse gases in 2011. It links these emissions to broader climate trends in Canada, where average temperatures rose by 1.7°C between 1948 and 2012. The text outlines severe global health risks, including an expected 250,000 additional annual deaths between 2030 and 2050 due to heat, malnutrition, and disease. Specifically for Albertans, it predicts increased heat waves, smog, and extreme weather, citing the 2013 floods that displaced over 100,000 people and cost over $5 billion.

The document details the environmental and health impacts of Alberta's coal-fired power plants, noting that in 2014, 68% of the province's electricity was generated from coal. It highlights that these plants are significant sources of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, mercury, and greenhouse gases, with 2011 emissions totaling 43 megatonnes of GHG. The authors propose a transition plan to reach 0% coal reliance by 2030, increasing renewable energy to 40% and reducing electricity demand through energy efficiency by 20%. The strategy discourages increased reliance on stand-alone natural gas due to production-related GHG emissions and suggests mechanisms for phase-out such as legislated closures, lifespan caps, or carbon pricing.

The document outlines the environmental and health risks associated with Alberta's reliance on coal-fired power plants, noting that in 2014, 68 per cent of the province's electricity was generated from coal. It highlights that these plants are major sources of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and mercury, leading to increased respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Using the Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) model for 2008, the document estimates that coal plant pollution caused over 100 deaths and cost approximately $300 million per year in health impacts. Additionally, it links coal plants to climate change, noting they were responsible for 18% of Alberta's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2011, and warns of future climate-related health risks for Albertans, such as increased heat waves and flooding.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) contends that the EPA's proposed MACT standards for coal-fired utility units violate the Clean Air Act (CAA) by using arbitrary subcategories based on coal rank and flawed statistical methods to inflate emission floors. CATF argues that the EPA has ignored available, cost-effective technologies—such as activated carbon injection and fabric filters—that could achieve significantly higher mercury removal rates. The document further asserts that the EPA is legally obligated to regulate all HAPs emitted by these units, not just mercury and nickel, and that proposed compliance extensions are unauthorized and unnecessary given available labor and equipment resources.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) asserts that the EPA's proposed MACT regulations for utility units lack rigorous economic analysis and fail to protect children from mercury risks. By modeling an 'Alternate Mercury Control Scenario' using the EPA's own Integrated Planning Model (IPM), CATF demonstrates that more stringent mercury emission limits are cost-effective, providing substantial health benefits—specifically avoided premature deaths from PM2.5 exposure—that far outweigh the incremental costs to the power sector. The document further claims the EPA misled the public regarding its compliance with Executive Order 13045 concerning environmental health risks to children.