The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a long-pending air quality plan submitted by Louisiana, determining that the state is not significantly contributing to sulfur dioxide pollution in other states under federal clean air rules.
The approval, finalized late last month and effective on Aug. 6, applies to a portion of Louisiana’s State Implementation Plan under the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” provision, which requires states to prevent their air emissions from causing nonattainment of federal air standards in downwind states.
“EPA determines that the Louisiana SIP contains adequate provisions to ensure that the air emissions in the state will not significantly contribute to nonattainment or interfere with maintenance” of the 2010 1-hour SO₂ National Ambient Air Quality Standard, the agency wrote in its final rule.
The EPA’s approval of Louisiana’s plan may also mark one of the final actions under the “Good Neighbor” policy. On March 12, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency would terminate the program as part of what he called “the greatest day of deregulation in U.S. history.”
Zeldin argued that the program “expanded federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus” and led to widespread rejection of state-submitted air plans. It’s unclear how the rollback will affect already-approved SIPs, including Louisiana’s.
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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