STATES SEEK STRONGER PVC TOXICS STANDARDS TO COMPLY WITH 'HAMMER'

States are asking to work with EPA on a new air toxics standard for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plants and may institute stronger standards at the state level, noting that a regulatory gap exists after a federal court struck down an earlier EPA rule this spring. State officials fear that in the absence of a rule, they may be subject to an unusual Clean Air Act requirement known as a "hammer" forcing them to make case-by-case determinations on individual facility permits...