EPA tells 20 states cut air pollution by '08

By Chris Baltimore

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized rules directing 20 U.S. states to slash levels of tiny particles spewed by power plants, cars and other sources by 2010.

About 88 million people in more than 200 U.S. counties -- mostly clustered around big cities like Los Angeles and New York -- live where "particulate" levels exceed legal limits set by the agency.

The offending particles -- 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair -- are linked to premature death from heart and lung disease, as well as chronic bronchitis and asthma.

Governors of affected states must give EPA their cleanup plans by February 2008, and designated areas must lower particulate pollution to what the agency considers to be a safe level by 2010, the rules said.

Clean air advocates called the rules "a dirty power industry protection plan," and said they may actually hamper states' ability to clean up air pollution.

That's because plants could comply with requirements by purchasing emission credits established by a nationwide "cap-and-trade" program proposed by the White House.

"This is a flagrant gift to the electric power industry," said Frank O'Donnell of Clean Air Watch, an advocacy group.

Such comments "take the rule out of context," said Steve Lomax, manager of air quality programs at the Edison Electric Institute, which lobbies for most big U.S. utilities, including American Electric Power, Southern Co. and Duke Energy Corp..