May 12, 2004—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule that would requires states to consider the visibility impacts of an individual facility when determining whether they have to install air pollution controls, and what those controls would be. The new proposal covers many power plants and other facilities not previously subject to federal pollution control requirements for visibility-harming pollutants.
The proposal, which amends EPA’s 1999 Regional Haze Rule, adds an emissions standard for nitrogen oxides, and refines the emissions standard for sulfur dioxide. The 1999 haze rule requires the installation of best available retrofit technology (BART) on older facilities emitting pollution that states determine harms visibility in specially protected areas.
EPA will be taking public comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Copies of this proposal and fact sheet are available from EPA.
