SOARING PM, NOX PRICES UNDERSCORE CREDIT SHORTAGE, INDUSTRY FEARS

Soaring prices for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission reduction credits (ERCs) statewide reflect a dearth of available credits that threatens California's industrial growth, particularly in terms of new power plant construction, according to sources. The market trend is again heightening pressure on local, state and federal regulators to brainstorm strategies for more credit generation, especially from mobile sources, to offset new and modified stationary source projects. But environmentalists remain vigilant that any new ERC-generating strategies not violate...