Regional Haze
Texas SO2 Trading Program
EPA’s Regional Haze Program was created to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. A number of states use participation in EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) trading programs to satisfy some of the Regional Haze Rule’s requirements.
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EPA is proposing to find that the basis for the Texas SO2 Trading Program as a BART alternative rested on an erroneous interpretation of our BART alternative regulations, and we are therefore proposing to withdraw the Texas SO2 Trading Program FIP. EPA is proposing to replace that portion of the existing best available retrofit technology (BART) Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) for Texas with a proposed BART FIP that would require source-specific emission limits for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM) on 12 Electric Generating Units (EGUs) located at six power plants in Texas.
EPA is also proposing to deny a petition for reconsideration received in 2020 from environmental groups related to EPA’s prior determination that participation in the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) trading programs is a valid BART alternative under the Regional Haze Rule. EPA’s proposed denial of the petition for reconsideration will affirm the continued validity of participation in CSAPR as a BART alternative by taking into account the proposed source-specific emission limits EPA is concurrently proposing for Texas EGUs. This will provide certainty to the 19 states that currently rely on CSAPR participation as a BART alternative for their BART-eligible EGUs by making it clear that they can continue to rely on CSAPR as a BART alternative
- 2020 denial of petition to reconsider 2017 final affirmation
- 2017 final affirmation of determination that CSAPR qualifies as a BART alternative
- 2016 proposed affirmation of determination that CSAPR qualifies as a BART alternative
- 2012 final action authorizing use of CSAPR as a BART alternative
- 2011 proposal to authorize use of CSAPR as a BART alternative
In 2017, EPA finalized the Texas SO2 Trading Program to address certain requirements under the Regional Haze Rule specifically for electricity generating units in Texas.
- 2020 final action amending and affirming Texas SO2 Trading Program
- 2019 supplemental proposal to affirm Texas SO2 Trading Program
- 2018 proposal to affirm Texas SO2 Trading Program
- 2017 final action establishing Texas SO2 Trading Program
Allocations of allowances from the Texas SO2 Trading Program Supplemental Allowance Pool
Under the Texas SO2 Trading Program regulations, some sources may qualify for allocations from a Supplemental Allowance Pool for a given program year. The spreadsheet below shows the Supplemental Allowance Pool allocations.
2024 Supplemental Pool Allocation (xlsx)
2023 Supplemental Pool Allocation (xlsx)
2022 Supplemental Pool Allocation (Updated) (xlsx)
2021 Supplemental Pool Allocation (xlsx)