EPA FACES INTERNAL DEBATE OVER CONTROVERSIAL WESTERN AIR MODELING

An internal EPA dispute is coming to a head over whether to grant final approval to controversial air quality modeling procedures in North Dakota, which could be a model for a nationwide rulemaking, agency sources and environmentalists say. Activists close to the issue say agency headquarters appears inclined to approve the new modeling protocol, which could pave the way for industrial expansion in park and wilderness locations known as Class I areas. But technical staffers in EPA's regional offices have...