OBAMA EPA FINALIZES STALLED BUSH-ERA 'FLEXIBLE' AIR PERMIT RULE

摘要

EPA is finalizing without change a stalled Bush-era rule on "flexible" air permits that gives industry the option to make changes to their facilities without having to obtain a new air permit, upholding the previous administration's decision to strike a controversial provision allowing companies to avoid new emission control requirements for a decade by agreeing to 10-year pollution limits.rnThe final rule, slated for publication in the Oct. 6 Federal Register endorses the Bush administration's decision to withdraw a "green group" provision in the proposed version of the rule. The provision would have allowed facilities that commit to a green group classification to make process changes and allow them to respond to market conditions without requiring permit modifications for a decade, provided that they commit to an overall air pollution reduction requirement over the same 10-year period.