The recent proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency, which would alter the Clean Air Act to place limits on carbon emissions from new power plants, is a step in the right direction in protecting the quality of our air. The standard, which would apply only to new power plants, would limit fossil-fuel-fired power plants to emitting only 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt hour.

That’s an important move, considering that the U.S. currently has no set, nationwide limit on carbon pollution. According to the EPA, power plants are the largest individual sources of carbon pollution in the United States, with motor vehicles coming in second. It’s shocking to think that we haven’t been mandating any sort of limit on the emissions from these power plants, particularly considering the harmful effects of too much CO2.

According to a recent bipartisan survey conducted for the American Lung Association, 74 percent of Maine voters surveyed want the EPA to set limits on power plant carbon pollution. It’s nice to see our federal government taking the action that people want.

Karen D’Andrea, executive director of Maine Physicians for Social Responsibility, has cheered the proposal, noting that carbon pollution is “particularly dangerous for children because it increases smog, which triggers asthma attacks and permanently damages children’s lungs.”

The American Lung Association has found it’s clear that “the buildup of carbon pollution creates warmer temperatures which then create more ozone ”“ also called smog.” High smog levels lead to asthma attacks and complications for those with heart and lung disease.

Even those who aren’t directly impacted by bad air will pay, literally. The more people who have breathing and heart problems brought about by unhealthy air, the more we all pay in health insurance costs.

But it doesn’t take scientific studies to know that air pollution is a bad thing. Anyone who’s stood downwind of a coal-burning furnace or tried to hold their breath as a diesel truck rolls by can tell you that. Even so, it’s what we don’t experience directly ”“ the rising CO2 levels in our atmosphere ”“ that eventually hurt us most. And it’s not just humans that suffer the effects of air pollution. When carbon builds up in our atmosphere, the EPA has found it has a range of negative effects on our environment, too, due to the warming that results.

Because air knows no borders, it’s important for us to have nationwide regulations to protect it. Even if Maine had the strictest standards in the nation, we’d still suffer from air pollution that circulates in from our neighboring states. Indeed, it would be nice to have a worldwide agreement on limiting air pollutants, but since that’s highly unlikely we hope at least this nationwide effort will pass.

These new standards would apply only to the next generation of power plants, opening up an opportunity for engineers to develop new technologies that will cut down on carbon pollution even as our demands for electricity increase. The need for such improvements could help create jobs, giving the economy an important boost and putting new pride in the American ability to innovate.

Of course, it’s not only new power plants that are a concern, especially considering the long life of the existing plants. The EPA is also working on carbon pollution standards for existing plants that will be unveiled later this year or early next year, they say, and those will undoubtedly be more controversial since it will involve retrofitting the existing facilities ”“ and that means spending money. For the plants in the design stages right now, it’s easier to conform with the new rules before construction starts, but for those already in operation it will be a greater feat. Even so, we feel it’s an important investment to make ”“ of both time and money ”“ and if some of the cost of installing carbon pollution minimizing technology has to be passed on to the electricity consumer, it will be worth it to protect our environment and our health.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.