On March 31st, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be holding public hearings across the country about changes to Clean Air Act regulations, called New Source Review. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Annie MacDowell has more on the upcoming meetings:
Transcript
On March 31st, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be holding public
hearings across the country about changes to Clean Air Act regulations, called New
Source Review. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Annie MacDowell has more:
The proposed changes to the New Source Review would relax standards for pollution
controls on power plants that are more than 25 years old.
Environmentalists worry the new standards could allow old power plants to pollute more.
The EPA will hold forums in Albany, N.Y.; Dallas, Texas; Romulus, Michigan; Salt
Lake City, Utah; and the EPA’s Research Triangle Park headquarters in North Carolina.
Bill Harnett is the Director of the Air Permitting Division of the U.S. EPA. He says the
meetings will give the public a chance to ask questions and make comments about
changes to New Source Review.
“It gives them more of a direct feed into the agency and the process, and it’s
something we always do on our rules is offer this kind of opportunity. And on
major rules like the one we’re doing, we always offer it in multiple places in the
country.”
Harnett says he expects a good turn-out, and the hearings could last all day.
After all public comments have been received, the EPA will review them and
decide whether to make the proposed changes.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Annie MacDowell.