EPA agrees to improve oversight of smokestack emissions testing

EPA is agreeing to make improvements to its oversight of particulate matter (PM) air emissions testing at smokestacks used to vent pollution from industrial facilities, following an Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that found some problems with the reliability of data collected from current testing methods. The OIG in its July 30 report , which focused on facilities in Washington state, “found numerous examples of nonadherence to EPA test methods and inadequate supporting documentation to assess data quality." Further,...