NAAQS Reform Plan Raises Questions Over Future EPA Staff Role

EPA staff and environmentalists are questioning recommendations from an internal EPA workgroup on reforming the process for setting national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), saying a proposal to replace the staff recommendations for EPA managers with a new "policy assessment document" could lead to political interference with an established scientific review process. Under the Clean Air Act, NAAQS standards must be set every five years for six major air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead and...