EPA is seeking to give states another three years to craft their third round of plans for cutting haze in national parks and wilderness areas.
Under a draft rule published Monday, the deadline for those blueprints would be pushed back from July 2028 to July 2031.
Among the reasons for the proposed extension, EPA says it would let states to “consider the potential emissions reductions resulting from implementing other near-term regulatory programs,” such as a stricter ambient air quality standard for soot put in place earlier this year.
The added time would also allow states to incorporate unspecified changes to the program that the agency is mulling, in part to build on “lessons learned” from the work already under way, the proposal says. The cutoff for public feedback is Feb. 6.
