Air

Tracking the latest agency and congressional debates over rules to cut emissions of traditional pollutants, and a broad range of novel EPA policies including the agency's shift to a "multipollutant" regulatory approach for individual sectors.

Topic Subtitle
Tracking the latest agency and congressional debates over rules to cut emissions of traditional pollutants, and a broad range of novel EPA policies including the agency's shift to a "multipollutant" regulatory approach for individual sectors.

HUMAN RIGHTS FINDING ON CLIMATE CHANGE COULD SPUR ACTIVIST LAWSUITS

A recent human rights petition accusing the United States of inaction on global warming could encourage future lawsuits from environmentalists against government agencies or corporations by establishing for the first time an obligation under international law for the United States to address climate change, activists tracking the petition say. A member of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, which represents indigenous peoples in the Arctic regions of the United States and Canada, filed the petition in December with the Inter American Commission...

REPORT TO NEW ORLEANS MAYOR CALLS FOR EPA ACTION ON MOLD, SEDIMENT

An advisory panel to the city of New Orleans on EPA and the federal government's hurricane response is expected to call for greater attention to mold contamination, even though the agency lacks the authority to regulate indoor air pollutants such as mold, according to preliminary recommendations obtained by Clean Air Report. The panel is also calling for additional cleanup and sampling of contaminated sediment by EPA and other federal agencies, while questioning EPA conclusions that the soil contaminants probably do...

SEC RULING ON GE PLAN MAY SHAPE FIGHT OVER CORPORATE GREEN STRATEGIES

The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) may influence the extent to which companies must disclose the nature of their sustainability efforts when it rules on a resolution demanding that General Electric (GE) justify its highly publicized "ecomagination" campaign to its shareholders. But GE disputes the need for SEC involvement, saying its efforts to promote energy efficient products do not constitute a climate change "policy," as the investment group contends, but is merely a "strategy" that can be excluded from the...

STUDY COULD HARM EPA BENEFIT TALLIES, SPUR FUROR OVER SENIOR CITIZENS

A National Academies panel is preparing to unveil a study long-sought by departing White House regulatory chief John Graham that could help the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) implement a controversial approach for assessing the effectiveness of health regulations. However, the study could reignite criticisms from EPA staff, environmentalists and senior citizens' groups who say the cost-effectiveness approach ignores ecological and other non-monetary benefits that EPA often uses to justify strict standards and devalues the lives of those with...

OMB ISSUES BROAD NEW FEDERAL RISK GUIDE BASED ON PRIOR NAS REPORTS

The White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) released Jan. 9 sweeping new draft risk assessment guidance for federal agencies highlighting where EPA has fallen short of key recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other bodies since the federal government began employing risk approaches in the 1970s. The White House effort is being spearheaded by departing OMB regulatory chief John Graham to prod agencies like EPA to adopt further reforms in detailing the uncertainty surrounding...

EPA TAKES CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO SAB PUSH FOR ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Top EPA officials are questioning whether the agency can significantly boost its use of ecological benefits estimates despite an effort by the Science Advisory Board (SAB) urging the agency to bolster the practice when justifying regulations, standards and policies. EPA officials say that while they welcome the use of ecological benefits in developing policy, particularly for regional approaches, they are concerned that resource constraints, White House oversight and judicial review could dampen future efforts. Valuing ecological benefits could strengthen regulations...

LEAD PAINT RULE WITH LIMITED SCOPE DRAWS INDUSTRY, ACTIVIST FIRE

EPA's recently proposed lead paint-renovation rule, which partially restricts its application to housing with children under six, is drawing fire from both home builders for being overly burdensome and safe housing advocates for being insufficiently protective. Although some sources said before the rule was released that its limited scope was intended to ease burdens on small businesses, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) claims in a Dec. 29 statement that the rule "will add delays to renovation projects and...

EPA PROPOSES ACCELERATING STATE EMISSIONS REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

EPA is proposing to accelerate the reporting of emissions data to EPA by state and local agencies, a move that state air officials generally welcome as a tightening of reporting deadlines that will help EPA establish more up-to-date information on emissions nationwide. EPA on Dec. 22 proposed a rule that would from 2008 onward require faster reporting to the agency of emissions inventories by states. An emission inventory is a state's collection of emission data from all sources, including mobile...

New Nanotech Law Should Focus On Limiting Risks, Key Report Urges

A just-released report on addressing risks posed by nanomaterials is recommending that any new law regulating the technology focus on preventing risks posed by the emerging products, as opposed to the remediation of pollution and exposure, which most current environmental laws target. The law would focus on the products, not the environment, because once the "materials gets into the environment, it is probably too late to take remedial measures," the report says. The suggestions come as observers expect Congress will...

Activists Weigh Litigation Over Air Toxics Rule For Incinerators

Environmentalists are weighing litigation over EPA's recent rule to reduce air toxic emissions from a category of waste incinerators because they say the emission controls mandated by the rule are not stringent enough. The activists also believe EPA is providing too many exemptions to the rule for a host of industry sectors. Activists argue the agency's Dec. 16 rule establishing maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards for other solid waste incinerators (OSWI) sets weak controls that do not reflect the...

SWEEPING EPA NAAQS REVIEW MAY ERODE STAFF ROLE IN SETTING STANDARDS

EPA staff and outside observers are concerned that a new Bush administration plan to comprehensively evaluate the process for setting air standards for particulate matter (PM) and other criteria pollutants may undermine the key role that agency staff play in developing the scientific basis for updating standards. The critics say the evaluation may have been prompted by Bush environment officials' perception last fall that their options for setting new PM standards were limited by the advice they received from career...

NANOTECHNOLOGY EXPERTS SEE INDUSTRY BENEFIT FROM CAL/EPA ROLE

California nanotechnology industry experts are recommending greater interaction and cooperation with the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) to advance cutting-edge technology, including pilot projects to demonstrate the commercial application of nanotech products. An expert panel is recommending highly visible interaction with environmental regulators partly as a way to avert potential negative public reaction and avoid some of the pitfalls suffered by the manufacturers of genetically modified foods. What remains unclear is Cal/EPA's potential future regulatory role over nanotechnology, which to...

EPA TAKES CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO SAB PUSH FOR ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Top EPA officials are taking a cautious approach to an effort by the agency's Science Advisory Board (SAB) to bolster the practice of estimating ecological benefits, in addition to human health benefits, as a way to strengthen EPA regulations, standards and policies. EPA officials say while they welcome the use of ecological benefits in developing policy, particularly for regional approaches, they are concerned that resource constraints, White House oversight and judicial review could dampen future efforts. Valuing ecological benefits could...

Key Study Could Hamper EPA Benefit Tallies, Reignite Furor Over Senior Citizens

A National Academies panel is preparing to unveil a study long-sought by departing White House regulatory chief John Graham that could help the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) implement a controversial approach for assessing the effectiveness of health regulations. However, the study could reignite criticisms from EPA staff, environmentalists and seniors groups who say the cost-effectiveness approach ignores ecological and other non-monetary benefits that EPA often uses to justify strict standards and devalues the lives of those with compromised...

EPA, NAS NEAR DEAL ON REVIEW PANEL FOR AGENCY'S CHEMICAL RISK STUDIES

EPA and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) are close to finalizing a deal creating a new NAS standing committee to evaluate agency risk standards for toxics before EPA officials finalize their conclusions and submit them for interagency and White House review. Agency officials have said they hope the early input from NAS will temper concerns from industry officials and federal agencies, including the departments of Defense (DOD) and Energy (DOE), over risk assessments they fear could prompt stricter air...

EPA REGIONS PLAN STRATEGIES FOR WESTERN APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENT

EPA regions that include about 20 Western states are developing draft strategy documents for EPA Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock laying out priorities to be tracked by each region to foster greater cooperation on energy, mining, agriculture, diesel emissions, tribal programs and border issues, according to documents obtained by Water Policy Report. The documents pertain to states in EPA regions VI, VIII, IX and X, or what the agency terms the "USEPA Great American West Eco-Region," and describe "conceptual work plans"...

KEY STUDY COULD HAMPER EPA BENEFIT TALLIES, REIGNITE FUROR OVER SENIORS

A National Academies panel is preparing to unveil a study long-sought by departing White House regulatory chief John Graham that could help the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) implement a controversial approach for assessing the effectiveness of health regulations. However, the study could reignite criticisms from EPA staff, environmentalists and seniors groups who say the cost-effectiveness approach ignores ecological and other non-monetary benefits that EPA often uses to justify strict standards and devalues the lives of those with compromised...

EPA FACES FUNDING PRESSURES FOR COMPETING PROGRAMS IN FY07 REQUEST

As the Bush administration develops its fiscal year 2007 budget request, EPA is under competing pressures from Republicans, Democrats, environmentalists, industry groups and state officials to propose adequate funding for new and long-standing agency programs from a shrinking pot of discretionary dollars. But the administration's request is likely to disappoint some, if not all, of these groups, since observers expect significant cuts to the agency's budget as the White House seeks to control the skyrocketing federal deficit. EPA officials would...

OMB Poised To Issue Broad New EPA Risk Guide Based On Prior NAS Reports

The White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) is poised to release Jan. 9 sweeping new risk assessment guidance highlighting where EPA has fallen short of key recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other bodies since the federal government began employing risk approaches in the 1970s, according to sources familiar with the document. The White House effort is being spearheaded by departing OMB regulatory chief John Graham to prod agencies like EPA to adopt further...

Report To New Orleans Mayor Calls For EPA Action On Mold, Sediment

An advisory panel to the city of New Orleans on EPA and the federal government's hurricane response is expected to call for greater attention to mold contamination, even though the agency lacks the authority to regulate indoor air pollutants such as mold, according to preliminary recommendations obtained by Inside EPA . In addition, the group is calling for additional cleanup and sampling of contaminated sediment by EPA and other federal agencies, while questioning EPA conclusions that the soil contaminants probably...

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