By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis – The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed a proposal in St. Louis Wednesday that is aimed at cleaning the air by targeting coal-fired power plants.
EPA chief Mike Leavitt, who took charge of the agency just over a month ago, says the "interstate air quality rule" will dramatically reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
"They come primarily from power plants and this deals with the power plants not just here, but in surrounding states," Leavitt said. "So in the pollutants that drift in and out of Missouri, there'll be a reduction and that will help you meet these standards."
The proposed rule covers a total of 30 states, including Missouri and Illinois. If approved, it would not go into effect until 2005.