Updated EPA Agenda Details Slew Of Efforts To Relax Clean Air Act Rules

摘要

EPA's newly updated regulatory agenda includes a slew of efforts to relax Clean Air Act requirements for a wide range of industrial sectors, such as formalizing recent guidance easing new source review (NSR) permit mandates, revising the Obama-era utility air toxics rule, and softening air monitoring policies. The Unified Agenda, updated May 9 on the White House Office of Management & Budget's (OMB) website, reflects various priorities of President Donald Trump's EPA from the nascent pre-rule stage to the final rule stage. The agenda covers all of the agency's main offices for air, water, waste and other policies. Among the many EPA Office of Air & Radiation rulemakings is one of several steps agency air chief William Wehrum and Administrator Scott Pruitt have announced to overhaul the NSR program. EPA is advancing steps to ease NSR implementation for industry, using a mix of non-binding guidance and regulation. So far, the agency has issued non-binding guidance on NSR and other air permitting issues, but has indicated it will also proceed with some rulemakings. Wehrum in his prior role as President George W. Bush's acting EPA air chief tried to do some NSR reform rules but they were either defeated in court or never completed.