Independent Report To Congress Repudiates EPA's Clean Air Rollbacks

(21 April 2003 — Boulder)  Today the National Academy of Public Administration issued a report to Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticizing EPA’s proposed reforms of the new source review program.   The report also recommends that any legislative action reforming the new source review program also address the nation’s concerns about global warming and climate change.  The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonprofit organization of leading policy experts chartered by Congress to improve governance.

“This is a failing grade from the nation’s leading policy experts who have concluded that the Bush Administration plan for revamping the nation’s Clean Air Act misses the mark both environmentally and economically,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton.   “The Academy found that the Bush Administration plan fails to ensure environmental protection by weakening the long-standing new source review program and is economically short-sighted in failing to integrate strategies to lower heat-trapping greenhouse gases with other pollution control investments.”

The report made several key findings that were designed to improve the performance of the controversial new source review program.  The Academy recommended:

First, that Congress end “grandfathering” for all large existing industrial sources as soon as possible by prioritizing the oldest facilities with the highest emission levels to ensure that air quality benefits are achieved quickly.   The report recommends that all major pollution sources be required to upgrade to the best available pollution controls within 10 years. 

Second, that EPA and the Department of Justice continue to enforce new source review vigorously.

Third, that Congress require existing pollution sources to meet rigorous national or regional air pollution caps that steadily decline over time to meet public health and environmental needs.

Fourth, that when Congress adopt new source review reforms it anticipate future environmental challenges such as global warming and climate change so that industry “can plan for, and make, sound investments to address current and emerging environmental requirements.”

The report is available on-line at:  http://www.napawash.org/