Environmentalists Claim EPA 'Uptick' In Approving Weaker State Air Plans

Environmentalists claim they are noticing an "uptick" in EPA approving weaker state implementation plans (SIPs) for complying with Clean Air Act mandates than they argue the law requires, though some state air regulators see the approvals as encouraging signs of increased cooperation with the agency on the long-delayed SIP process. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has prioritized restoring what he sees as states' primacy in the Clean Air Act's "cooperative federalism" balance between the agency and states on implementing the law...