{"articles":[{"id":2426,"title":"EPA Ends Air Pollution Policy","html_content":"

by Causes | 1.26.18

What’s the story?

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The Environmental Protection Agency is withdrawing a decades-old policy that targeted \"major sources\" of hazardous pollution, like mercury and lead.

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The \"once-in, always-in\" policy of the Clean Air Act meant that if a power plant or factory once qualified as a major polluter, it would always have to comply with regulations that apply to major polluters.

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Why does it matter?

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William Wehrum, head of the EPA’s air office, said repealing the \"once-in, always-in\" policy would:

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\"Reduce regulatory burden for industries and the states, while continuing to ensure stringent and effective controls on hazardous air pollutants.\"
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Environmentalists, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, criticized the repeal. They claim the \"once-in, always-in\" regulations kept polluters from trimming back to just below the major-source classification.

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\"This is among the most dangerous actions that the Trump EPA has taken yet against public health,\" John Walke, the NRDC’s clean air director, said in a statement. He continued:

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\"Rolling back longstanding protections to allow the greatest increase in hazardous air pollutants in our nation’s history is unconscionable.
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What do you think?

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Do you support ending the \"once-in, always-in policy\"? Did the policy unfairly punish factories, even if they made improvements to curb pollution? Or did it help prevent them from cutting pollution to just below a major-source classification? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your comments below.

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—Josh Herman

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Related Reading

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(Photo Credit: Schroptschop / iStock)

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