West vs. East: Pollutant Transport Under the Clean Air Act

Eastern States are now suing to get Western States to address Eastern State’s pollution in Western State’s SIPs (see headlines below). Absurd?

Anyone getting tired of this?
Anyone still think that the current Clean Air Act can efficiently, effectively, and fairly address pollutant transport?
Is this fair that Eastern States need to go through this hoo-hah to protect their air and achieve the NAAQS via the SIP process?

And sorry Western States. You are stuck. Eastern States might be able to get emissions reductions out of you from the Federal government under the current Clean Air Act to deal with transported pollution into their region, but you can’t get reductions out of Asia from the Federal government under the current Clean Air Act to deal with transported pollution into your region (see link). You are stuck. You are the one left holding the bag.

The world is changing. We must change with it. Time to transform the SIP process. We can make it happen.

For more information on the SIP transformation effort, see www.sipreform.com and blog at www.sipreform.wordpress.com.

InsideEPA Article:

Absent Transport Rule, Suits Seek State Plans To Cut Interstate Emissions

Eastern states and environmentalists are suing EPA seeking a court-ordered mandate for the agency to require 28 states to craft plans for reducing their transported emissions that hinder air quality in downwind states, in lieu of an over-arching federal interstate air rule after an appellate court scrapped EPA’s utility emissions trading program.