Majority Of States Wary Of Bush Clean Air Plans
A majority of state officials say the Bush administration’s revisions to permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review program will increase emissions of harmful air pollutants, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO).
The report by the GAO, which is the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, analyzed the responses of state air officials from 44 states to December 2002 changes to pollution control program.
Twenty-nine of 44 state officials responding to the GAO’s survey agreed that the rule revisions give the industry greater flexibility to make some facility changes without having to obtain New Source Review permits or install pollution controls.
But 27 said the rules would increase emissions, thereby hindering areas’ efforts to meet federal air quality standards and potentially creating or increasing public health risks.
“This concern contrasts with EPA’s assessment that the rule will decrease emissions and maintain the current level of environmental protection,” the GAO wrote.
Officials from five states said the new rules would cut emissions – the other 12 were unsure or said emissions would not change.
Thirty officials each expect their agency’s workload would increase as they implement the new rules, and almost all said they would like EPA assistance with implementation.
The New Source Review program forces power plants to upgrade air pollution controls when facilities are upgraded or modified to provide more power. Industry groups support the Bush administration revisions of the program, which they contend are needed to establish regulatory certainty and will not slow the pace of pollution reduction.
But new rules relax the program too far for many and have drawn legal challenges from environmentalists and some 13 states.
Industry representatives said the GAO’s report, requested by Senate Democrats and its lone Independent, Jim Jeffords of Vermont, got the answers it sought and is not a fair assessment of the changes to the program.
“Staunch opponents of New Source Review clarification and Clean Air Act innovation requested a survey of certain state attitudes on air policy change,” said Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council. “Not surprisingly, the result reflects the bias of the questioners.”
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.