Clear skies ahead? New power plant regulations were 20 years in the making.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Asthma affects roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population, and one in six deaths in this country are caused by coronary heart disease and heart attacks. As a growing body of research indicates, all three conditions are either caused by or exacerbated by particulate pollution and other smog-forming gases from industrial sources, primarily oil- and coal-burning power plants. But thanks to a new ruling announced Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these dirty power plants will be forced to clean up their stacks. "By proposing these standards, we are initiating an effort that, as a commonsense goal of reducing harmful pollution in the air we breathe, will save lives, prevent illnesses, and promote vital economic opportunities across the country," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at a press conference announcing the ruling. "The simple act of being able to breathe clean air will make a remarkable difference for thousands of Americans."

THE DETAILS: The new rule requires power plant operators to limit emissions of the heavy metals mercury, arsenic, lead, chromium, and nickel, as well as acidic gases and dioxins and furans, two cancer-causing compounds formed by inefficient combustion of fuels. The move to limit mercury pollution, a potent neurotoxin, is a boon to environmentalists, public health advocates, and anyone who likes seafood, because coal-fired power plants emit more than 50 percent of all the mercury that winds up in our air, water, and seafood. Because of the new mandated controls, mercury emissions from power plants will be cut by 91 percent, according to Jackson. Power plants also emit 50 percent of the other heavy metals affected by the law, which are linked a wide range of health problems, from cancer to cardiovascular disease and kidney problems.

This move represents the first time power plants have ever been subjected to mercury, heavy metal, and other acid-gas pollution controls, and, said Jackson, it's a move that's been 20 years in the making. Congress first required the EPA to regulate mercury and other toxic substances back in 1990 under the Clean Air Act, but the subsequent rules and limits have been tangled up in legal limbo for two decades. As a result of the regulatory uncertainty, about half of the nation's 525 coal- or oil-fired power plants have lagged behind others in installing emissions controls. The law will go into effect later this year or early next year, after which power plants will have three years to install emissions control technologies. Jackson said that, according to EPA modeling, the total costs would raise consumers' utility bills just $3 or $4 per month.

WHAT IT MEANS: By 2016, you'll be able to take a deep breath of healthier air. "We've been waiting for this for a long time," said Charles D. Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, who was also at the conference. "The American public has waited long enough." Citing a report his organization published just last week, Conner noted that U.S. coal-burning power plants are responsible for a total of 386,000 tons of air pollutants released into our atmosphere every year. And we can't avoid them. Power plants are located in virtually every state in the union, and their pollutants can travel hundreds of miles. "These pollutants include things that we learned a long time ago are not good for us, or our children," he said.