IPM Analysis of the Proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)
On March 16, 2011, EPA signed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the Toxics Rule (pdf) (173 pp, 1.2 MB). EPA analyzed the impact of the proposed Toxics Rule on the U.S. electric power sector using version 4.10_PTox of the Integrated Planning Model (IPM). From this page you can download documentation for IPM v4.10_PTox, the "NEEDS" database of electric generation unit records used in the modeling, and the IPM run results files.
IPM Analysis of the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) on the U.S. electric power sector
Documentation: Updates to EPA Base Case v4.10_PTox
EPA Base Case v4.10_PTox is the IPM version that EPA used to analyze the proposed Toxics Rule. To learn more about the v4.10_PTox assumptions, see the following link. EPA Base Case v4.10_PTox builds on the last major update to the IPM model, EPA Base Case v4.10.
Please note that the documentation for v4.10_PTox (presenting new modeling capabilities and updated input assumptions) supplements the more comprehensive documentation of EPA's IPM Base Case v4.10.
- Download Supplemental Documentation: Updates to EPA Base Case v4.10_PTox
- Chapter 5 Appendices– Revisions to Cost and Performance for Air Pollution Control Technologies
- Documentation of modeling features that were not changed can be found in EPA's IPM Base Case v.4.10
National Electric Energy Data System (NEEDS) v4.10_PTox
The National Electric Energy Data System or "NEEDS" database contains the generation unit records used to construct the "model" plants that represent existing and planned/committed units in EPA modeling applications of IPM. NEEDS includes basic geographic, operating, air emissions, and other data on these generating units. The following link provides access to the updated version of NEEDS used in modeling the proposed Toxics Rule.
IPM Results: IPM Run Files
Download IPM run files for the Toxics Rule analysis using the links in the following table. Click on the IPM run name in the first column of the following table to download a file. The files are posted in one of two formats, a zipped archive or an excel spreadsheet, and contain the following:
Detailed IPM input and output files (i.e., .DAT, System Summary Report, .RPE, .CAR, and TAC files) for the listed runs. (Guide to content of IPM input and output files)
| IPM Run Name | IPM Run Description |
|---|---|
| ToxR Base Case (zip) | Base case model run, including the national Title IV SO2 cap and trade program; NOx State Implementation Plan (SIP) Call regional ozone season cap and trade program; proposed Transport Rule; and settlements and state rules through December 2010. This run represents conditions without the proposed Toxics Rule. |
| ToxR Policy Case (zip) | This run models the proposed Toxics Rule described in the Toxics Rule preamble. |
| ToxR Base Case Energy Efficiency Scenario (zip) | This run models the base case with electricity demand from the energy efficiency sensitivity as described in the Toxics Rule preamble. |
| ToxR Policy Case Energy Efficiency Scenario (zip) | This run models the policy case with electricity demand from the energy efficiency sensitivity as described in the Toxics Rule preamble. |