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In a 5-to-4 ruling delivered June 27, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) delivered yet another blow to EPA authority when it placed the Agency’s “Good Neighbor” rule on hold. The “Good Neighbor” rule, also known as the “Cross State Air Pollution Rule” (CSAPR), was designed to cut pollution from power plants and other industrial […]
On Aril 17, 2023, Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton issued a press release announcing he was joining 18 other AGs in providing critical commentary on the EPA’s proposed rule to alter the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM). In the commentary letter, the AGs state, “The EPA should withdraw the […]
The EPA announced a proposal to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate pollution (PM-2.5) on January 6, 2023. The pre-publication version of the proposed rule calls for a revision to the primary annual PM-2.5 standard by lowering the level from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level between 9 […]
Having failed to reach the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone by July 20, 2021, the EPA announced a final proposed action to downgrade the following five regions from “Serious” nonattainment status to “Severe”: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Ft. Collins-Loveland, CO Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX Morongo Band of Mission Indians, CA New York-N. New […]
According to a proposed consent decree filed by the EPA in the Federal Register, the Agency plans to finalize tougher ozone pollution standards for several large metropolitan areas by September 15, 2022. These areas include Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas; New York-North New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut; and Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Ft. Collins-Loveland, Colorado. On […]
On May 24, 2022, the EPA published proposed state implementation plan (SIP) disapproval notices for air quality plans submitted by California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. In each case, the Agency cited that the state failed to adequately address compliance with the 2015 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). If the proposed disapprovals are […]
In a December final decision, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the Agency will not revise existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).
On October 15, 2020, the EPA proposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) revisions to reduce summertime nitrous oxides (NOx) emissions from upwind power plants in 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The EPA recently announced it would not be making any changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).
Asserting that there is no clear scientific evidence that more stringent standards would produce additional human health and environmental benefits, the EPA is proposing to retain without change the 2012 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).