EPA is advancing plans to weaken a mainstay air quality program for national parks even as environmental groups go to court to challenge the Trump administration’s reading of a key underpinning.
In a “prerule” sent late last week to the White House regulations office for a routine review, the agency signaled its intent to rework regional haze reduction requirements. A prerule is intended to collect public feedback before proposing specific changes.
EPA has not publicly set a date for release of that proposal, which is “expected to focus on regional haze planning obligations for states,” according to an accompanying summary. The planned restructuring will ensure that the program “fulfills congressional intent, is based on current scientific and technical information, and reflects recent improvements in air quality,” the summary added.
Already, Administrator Lee Zeldin had targeted the program in March as part of what he called “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.” An accompanying news release said it “threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families.”
