Rejecting CASAC, EPA Curbs NAAQS Reviews To Meet Speedy Schedule

摘要

Rejecting calls from EPA's science advisors, Administrátor Andrew Wheeler has announced plans to scale back the advisors' planned review of its particulate matter (PM) and ozone standards in order to meet an accelerated review schedule, intensifying criticism that the agency is artificially rushing the reviews to maintain or weaken the standards. In a July 25 letter to Tony Cox, chairman of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), Wheeler turns down the committee's request for EPA to recreate a panel to assist the seven-member chartered CASAC with the reviews of PM national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Wheeler instead offers a "pool" of experts, without specifying their status or skills, to assist CASAC in its oversight role of the PM and ozone limits. Wheeler is also rejecting calls from the advisors for a second draft review document on PM's risks, agreeing to make some changes to the document while punting "significant" changes to the next review cycle - an approach that the agency also plans to adopt for the pending ozone review. He says the changes are intended to help the agency complete an already-overdue review of PM standards by December 2020, and a review of the ozone NAAQS by a statutory deadline of Oct. 1, 2020.