Clean Air Act Reforms: State Flexibility and Wildfire Impact
This act modifies how states manage air quality, granting them more time and flexibility to meet standards. It also facilitates the consideration of economic factors and the effects of wildfires and mitigation efforts in pollution assessments. This could influence local air quality regulations and environmental management approaches.
Key points
States will have more time (10 years instead of 5) to review and comply with national air quality standards.
Economic attainability can now be considered when setting air quality standards, potentially affecting the strictness of regulations.
States will get more time (up to 3 years) to correct air quality plan deficiencies before federal intervention.
Emissions from wildfires and mitigation actions (e.g., prescribed burns) may be excluded from air quality compliance assessments, impacting state accountability for exceedances.
Federal penalties and fees for non-compliance can be avoided if pollution originates from outside the area, from exceptional events (like wildfires), or from mobile sources beyond state control.
Introduced
Citizen Poll