Environmental Protection Agency Revives George W. Bush-Era Policy for Air Pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new policy that will deviate from how the agency has determined whether power plants and similar facilities need to undergo the New Source Review process. The New Source Review process is a review and analysis of the scope and volume of pollutants these facilities emit, and is meant to curtail air pollution. This new policy is among a series of actions the agency has taken since the start of the new administration to cut down on the number of projects and facilities that undergo New Source Review, as part of a greater administration-wide attempt to cut down on regulatory barriers for businesses.

“Previously, New Source Review regularly discouraged companies from employing the latest energy-efficient equipment,” acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. “Our updates will remove undue regulatory barriers, provide greater certainty to America’s job creators and energy providers, and incentivize upgrades that will improve air quality.”

The policy itself is actually nothing new. It was first put forward in 2009, by the George W. Bush administration. However, the Obama administration suspended the policy following outcry from many environmental groups citing that the policy would allow for too much pollution.

To view the policy in full: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-11/documents/final_nsr_project_aggregation.pdf