EPA ends clean air policy opposed by fossil fuel interests

One of the government agencies we have learned about in class, the Environmental Protection Agency, has announced that it will be withdrawing the “once-in always-in” policy under the Clean Air Act, which dictated how major sources of hazardous air pollutants are regulated. The Clean Air Act defined "major sources" as one that has the potential to emit 10 tons or more per year of any hazardous air pollutant, or 25 tons per year of any combination of hazardous air pollutants, and the “once-in always-in” policy required major sources to remain subject to these stricter control standards, even if steps were taken to reduce pollution below the threshold. However, without the “once-in always-in” policy, these“major sources” like coal-fired power plants can be reclassified as “area sources” when their emissions dip below required limits, subjecting them to differing, more lenient standards.

Senate Environment Committee Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming says that the “withdrawal of this policy means manufacturers, oil and gas operations, and other types of industrial facilities will have greater incentive to reduce emissions,” while environmentalists say that this change will "drastically weaken limits on toxic heavy metals emitted from power-plant smokestacks."

In my opinion, this is an awful decision on the EPA's part. They are supposed to be the Environmental Protection Agency, not the Environmental Pollution Agency. Sure, fewer environmental regulations on businesses will generate more profit, but at what cost? If you want to experience first-hand the effects of not having strict pollution standards, go to any major Chinese city and take a nice, deep breath. Bureaucratic red tape may be obtrusive, but the EPA was one of the few things that improved the quality of life for the average American citizen. Now, thanks to regulatory capture, the EPA is now the antithesis of what it is supposed to represent.

Can we trust federal agencies to do the right thing in this day and age? 

https://www.apnews.com/646836ad590c4230b730fc17cfbcb967/EPA-ends-clean-air-policy-opposed-by-fossil-fuel-interests