10th Circuit Sides With EPA Approval Of States' Cap-and-Trade for Regional Haze

摘要

A federal appeals court has upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's decision allowing three Western states to adopt a regional cap-and-trade program to reduce regional haze, rejecting challenges filed by environmental groups (WildEarth Guardians v. EPA, 10th Cir., No. 12-9596, 10/21/14). The EPA's decision to approve implementation plans for the program over the Colorado Plateau regulating sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants wasn't arbitrary or capricious, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled Oct. 21. The court decision will affect visibility at some of the nation's most treasured landscapes, including Grand Canyon National Park, according to a statement issued by Earthjustice, which represented the environmental petitioners.