EPA ADVISORY PANEL MAY CONSIDER ALLOWING COST AS FACTOR IN AIR ACT

An EPA Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC) panel earlier this month began to address several potentially controversial reforms to the Clean Air Act, including suggestions from industry representatives to change the statute in order to allow cost to be a factor in setting health-based standards. Industry officials also want to test the effectiveness of state implementation plans (SIPs) by tying them to improvements in health-based outcomes, such as fewer premature deaths and hospital visits. Yet other panelists say it...