NSR Rollback Undermines Critical Local Air Quality Protections

(13 June, 2002 — Boulder)  In one of the most damaging administrative rollbacks in Clean Air Act history, the Bush administration today moved to undercut “new source review” clean air protections that have been instrumental in safeguarding local air quality for more than 25 years.  

“For more than two decades every American has depended on this critical Clean Air Act program to safeguard local air quality, to ensure healthy air for our families and to protect our national parks from air pollution,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton.  “The changes announced today clear the way for air pollution increases from large, poorly controlled industrial sources in neighborhoods across America without demanding any accountability.  When implemented, today’s action will only grow pollution instead of slowing it by changing ‘new’ source review into ‘no’ source review.” 

Under the existing new source review program, power plants and other large industrial sources that lack modern pollution control systems are required to update their pollution reduction technology when action is taken that significantly increases air pollution levels.  Once enacted, the new policies announced today would broadly exempt these old, high-polluting industrial sources from the requirement to modernize their pollution controls, even when they significantly increase air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

“The administration’s initiative would make sweeping changes to this program that will allow virtually all pollution increases from old, high-polluting sources to go unregulated and public participation to be excluded,” Patton said.  “This rollback puts the nation on the path to major pollution increases when sound science tells us we need rigorous pollution cuts to protect public health.” 

The traditional new source review program required old, high-polluting sources to prevent pollution increases that will worsen unhealthy air quality in urban centers or adversely impact national parks.  The program also gave citizens affected by the increased pollution notice of changes and the opportunity to comment on measures to reduce air pollution.