The Trump administration is effectively making it easier for states to claim that air pollution from Mexico or other countries is undercutting their ability to comply with key regulatory requirements.
That step, announced Monday by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin during a trip to Utah, could also allow state regulators to avoid cracking down on oil and gas producers or other homegrown pollution sources. The Clean Air Act waiver at issue applies only to international emissions.
“Americans should not be harmed by other countries that do not have the same environmental standards we have in the United States,” Zeldin said in a news release announcing his decision to scrap existing guidance that spelled out the steps needed for states to show that foreign emissions were hurting compliance with EPA ambient air quality standards for ozone, soot and four other common pollutants.
“Not only are we eliminating cumbersome red tape that placed excessive burden on states to prove emissions were from an international source,” Zeldin said, “but we are also helping states across our nation prosper while ensuring they continue to provide clean air for their residents.”
