EPA Expands Air Data Waivers For ‘Exceptional’ Events, Sparking Criticism

EPA has expanded the scope of possible situations where states and industry can exclude air monitoring data showing violations of federal air quality standards from regulatory determinations on Clean Air Act compliance, prompting warnings from one environmentalist that the action is unlawful, though states are welcoming the new policy. In an April 4 memo to EPA’s regional air division directors, senior EPA career staffers Richard Wayland, director of the Air Quality Assessment Division, and Anna Marie Wood, director of the...