Clean Air Act: Key Stakeholders' Views on Revisions to the New Source Review Program;Report to the Congress

摘要

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revisions to the New Source Review (NSR) program to control industrial emissions have drawn attention from state and local agencies that implement the program, as well as industry and environmental and health groups. Under the revisions, companies may not have to install pollution controls when making some facility changes. GAO was asked to obtain the opinions of state air quality officials and other stakeholders on the impact of both the final and proposed revisions EPA issued in December 2002. GAO obtained survey responses from NSR program managers in 44 states and certain localities and contacted six environmental and health groups, and eight industry groups active in the NSR debate. administrative burden. GAO recommends that EPA (1) help state air quality agencies implement the revisions, (2) monitor the effects of the rule that excludes routine equipment replacements from NSR, and (3) consider stakeholders' concerns before excluding other activities from NSR. In commenting on the report, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation said that the agency has concerns about our methodology and certain of our findings. GAO believes its approach and presentation are appropriate. Moreover, EPA said that our recommendations make sense, and that the agency already plans to take these actions.