On June 13th, in one of the most damaging administrative rollbacks in Clean Air Act history, the Bush
administration moved to undercut "new source review" clean air protections that have been instrumental in
safeguarding local air quality for more than 25 years.
"For more than two decades every American has depended on this critical Clean Air Act program to safeguard local
air quality, to ensure healthy air for our families and to protect our national parks from air pollution," said
Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton. "The changes announced today clear the way for air pollution
increases from large, poorly controlled industrial sources in neighborhoods across America without demanding any
accountability. When implemented, today's action will only grow pollution instead of slowing it by changing 'new'
source review into 'no' source review."
Under the existing new source review program, power plants and other large industrial sources that lack modern
pollution control systems are required to update their pollution reduction technology when action is taken that
significantly increases air pollution levels. Once enacted, the new policies announced today would broadly exempt
these old, high-polluting industrial sources from the requirement to modernize their pollution controls, even when
they significantly increase air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and communities.
"The administration's initiative would make sweeping changes to this program that will allow virtually all pollution
increases from old, high-polluting sources to go unregulated and public participation to be excluded," Patton said.
"This rollback puts the nation on the path to major pollution increases when sound science tells us we need rigorous
pollution cuts to protect public health."
The traditional new source review program required old, high-polluting sources to prevent pollution increases that
will worsen unhealthy air quality in urban centers or adversely impact national parks. The program also gave
citizens affected by the increased pollution notice of changes and the opportunity to comment on measures to
reduce air pollution.
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