EPA Plan To Exempt 'Exceptional Events' From Air Rules Prompts Debate

EPA's proposal to waive air quality requirements for pollution based on "exceptional events" is fueling controversy between state officials, environmentalists and industry over how much impact the pollution from such an event would have to cause in order to be exempted. Additionally, the groups are disagreeing over how to regulate cleanups from exceptional events. The plan has major significance for Western states in particular, where wind-borne dust and forest fires often cause violations of EPA's particulate matter (PM) standards. Regulators...