D.C. Circuit Upholds EPA's 'Exceptional Events' Air Emissions Waiver Rule

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld EPA's 2016 rule granting states Clean Air Act waivers for “exceptional events,” such as dust storms or wildfires, rejecting environmentalists' claims that the rule would allow exemptions for routine human activities. In its July 20 ruling in Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), et al. v. EPA, et al., the court accepts EPA's broad definition of the term “natural event,” which allows states to seek air law exemptions...