Secret EPA Plan to Relax Clean Air Rules
Fair Use Statement
Source: PEER
June 5, 2000 - SECRET EPA PLAN TO RELAX CLEAN AIR RULES
"Avoidance of Clean Air Act" is Stated Goal
Privatizes Pollution Enforcement
Washington, D.C....EPA officials have been quietly circulating a plan to allow
industries to evade required reviews of new air pollution sources from plant
expansion or modification, according to documents released today by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The plan, entitled "White
Paper Number 3," proposes to relax stationary source rules to foster
"avoidance" of Clean Air Act regulations governing industrial construction,
expansion and retrofitting by writing permits in such a "flexible" way that no
new permit need ever be obtained.
Despite the absence of any public notice, this dramatic shift in air quality
regulation is now on the verge of adoption. According to the May 12 cover
letter to the latest version of the White Paper from William Hartnett, acting
Director of the Information Transfer and Program Integration Division of
EPA's Office for Air and Radiation:
"In general, the draft White Paper reflects directional agreement among
Headquarters offices on major issues...While not mandatory, we will
encourage permitting authorities to use this guidance as resources and
needs dictate."
Hartnett solicited final internal comments prior to a June 7 decision date.
The White Paper was leaked to PEER, an employee advocacy group, by
concerned EPA staff. "This proposal privatizes the Clean Air Act such that
the needs of industry rather than public health considerations drive pollution
reduction," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "There are big
unanswered questions about how pollution permits with this much flexibility
can be enforced or even consistently applied from state to state."
Central to the changes proposed by White Paper Number 3 is something
called the "smart permit" that anticipates industry options so that a new
permit is not needed when facility conditions change. "In order for this
system to work, state regulators would need to be both omniscient and
prescient," commented Ruch.
Problems with the White Paper voiced by EPA employees include:
1. Enforceability -- The smart permits would be so flexible that it would be
nearly impossible to identify Clean Air Act violations. Several recent reviews
of EPA air quality enforcement find fault with the thoroughness and rigor of
current enforcement efforts. If EPA's present capabilities cannot keep up,
ask critics, how can it handle a far more sophisticated permitting scheme?
2. Lack of Public Review -- Not only has the public been cut out of the
formulation of this new guidance but, once effective, smart permits virtually
eliminate the right of affected citizens to register their concerns about
enlargement of nearby pollution sources. Blurry permit standards also make
it difficult to bring citizen suits against polluting companies.
3. Concepts Not Tested -- The White Paper policies are based upon "the
insights...from a program of pilot permitting projects." These pilot programs
were limited to using "flexibility" concepts in writing permits, but not in
enforcing them. There has been no experience implementing these
concepts, let alone on a large scale.
4. Weak and Uneven Pollution Protection -- If, as proposed, flexibility
concepts are simply handed over to the states to implement as they see fit,
states could dramatically lower the bar for pollution protection. States
would face little constraint from a federal oversight agency, EPA, that itself
is fostering Clean Air Act "avoidance."
"The Clinton-Gore policy on air quality is schizophrenic -- with one hand
they tighten standards and with the other they weaken enforcement," Ruch
concluded. "Any election year �win-win' regulatory reform or, in this case,
�re-invention,' should be approached with skepticism especially when it has
been hatched free from public scrutiny."
A copy of EPA's White Paper Number 3 is available upon request.
Didn't find what you are looking for? We've been online since 1996 and have created 1000's of pages. Search below and you may find just what you are looking for.
Michael R. Meuser
Data Research & GIS Specialist
MapCruzin.com is an independent firm
specializing in GIS project development and data research.
We created the first U.S. based
interactive toxic chemical facility
maps on the internet in 1996 and we
have been online ever since. Learn more about us and our services.
Have a project in mind? If you have data, GIS project or custom shapefile needs contact Mike.
Contact Us
Report Broken Links
Subscribe for Updates