Latest news with #GoodNeighborRule
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wisconsin air pollution is not Illinois' fault. Hold companies accountable.
In a recent column, Dale Kooyenga, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, makes some puzzling arguments about the economic impacts of ozone regulation, but he never once mentions the health harms of ozone itself. He argues that industries in southeastern Wisconsin should not take responsibility for helping clean up air pollution because much of our air pollution comes from other states. That's not how the law works, and for good reason. The law requires anyone who 'causes or contributes' to air pollution to reduce their own emissions. If Wisconsin factories and power plants are contributing to high ozone levels in Wisconsin, they need do more than blame other states. Kooyenga then points to the local economic boom: 'Milwaukee and the area have been on a roll over the past several years. Billions of dollars in capital investment, highlighted by Microsoft's $3 billion-plus data center project in Racine County, have all signs pointing in a positive direction for economic development, job creation and all that goes with it.' Opinion: Clean Air Act must be amended to end EPA mandates. We pay for Chicago pollution. But then, he says that all this is at risk because of unfair air pollution regulations, rules that have been on the books for the same several years that have seen so much economic growth. Microsoft and other industries know those rules and how they impact their businesses and have still chosen to locate in southeastern Wisconsin. They are not, as Kooyenga would have us believe, helpless victims of unreasonable 'mandates' coming out of Washington. They wouldn't be coming here if they didn't think they could prosper here. Industrial pollution controls cost a small fraction of the profits those companies will earn. Clean Wisconsin won a 2018 lawsuit against the EPA after the agency wrongly listed several eastern Wisconsin counties as meeting federal ozone standards. Clean Wisconsin has also intervened in a recent federal lawsuit against the Good Neighbor Rule, a plan to reduce air pollution from power plants and industrial plants that often blows across state lines. Oral argument in that case begins April 25 in DC Circuit Court. Instead of calling for an amendment to weaken the Clean Air Act, Kooyenga should be calling for strengthening the EPA's Good Neighbor Rule, which he admits isn't stringent enough to reduce interstate transport of ozone-causing chemicals in the air. And instead of trying get Wisconsin off the hook for controlling its share of pollution, he should direct his energy toward making sure other states are held accountable for theirs. Last year, the Supreme Court stayed the Good Neighbor rule so it's not in effect while a lawsuit challenging it plays out in circuit court. That's what we should all be complaining about. Opinion: On Wisconsin's glacial lakes, wake-enhanced boating damaging and dangerous Ozone levels in the southeastern counties are indeed elevated, and that's bad for the health of people living there. High ozone levels cause respiratory and other illnesses, especially in children and the elderly, and everyone who contributes to poor air quality should take responsibility for improving it. Blaming others and weakening air quality protections will only harm more Wisconsinites. Polluted air won't be a draw to our state for anyone — not even businesses. Katie Nekola is general counsel for Clean Wisconsin. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin air pollution rules don't stop economic growth | Opinion
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Environmental advocates fear EPA air quality rollbacks could particularly harm Mainers' health
As prevailing winds carry pollution from upwind power plants in other states into Maine, state data shows higher than average number of Mainers are diagnosed with asthma. (Photo by) Environmental advocates fear that cutting federal regulations meant to curb pollution and lower carbon emissions could be acutely felt in Maine. 'Bottom line, if the EPA is successful in weakening these critical environmental safeguards at the national level, then Maine would suffer harm from the air pollution and toxic pollution from upwind fossil fuel plants,' said Pete Didisheim, advocacy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, in a news release Thursday. Didisheim is referring to the more than 30 proposals from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to roll back environmental regulations on coal-fired power plants, water pollution, vehicle emissions and more. Specifically, it includes changes to the 'Good Neighbor' policy meant to address air pollution traveling downwind to other communities that could be particularly helpful to Maine. The changes unveiled Wednesday were framed as part of President Donald Trump's campaign promise to encourage energy production and cut regulations focused on slowing climate change. Despite the EPA's mission to 'protect human health and the environment,' these policy changes would instead prioritize the interests of fossil fuel companies, said Maine Conservation Voters Deputy Director Rani Sheaffer. 'Maine families deserve clean air and water, and corporate profits of the already wealthy shouldn't be prioritized over the health of our communities,' she said. The proposed changes won't go into effect immediately. Most of them will need to undergo a long rulemaking process that includes the opportunity for public input. Because of that, Didisheim said 'now is the time for Maine people to speak up in defense of EPA's mission.' The council fears the changes could not only harm the air, water and other natural resources that are vital to Maine's economy, but also be detrimental to public health in a state already grappling with high respiratory problems. About one in nine Mainers has asthma, which is higher than the national average, according to state data. Prevailing winds carry pollution from upwind power plants in other states into Maine, so the council is concerned that removing pollution-reducing requirements could exacerbate problems for elderly Mainers, children and those with respiratory issues. Given that geographic positioning, Didisheim said Maine could have 'the most to lose if the 'Good Neighbor Rule' is abandoned.' Before the Good Neighbor rule was adopted in 2023, the EPA estimated it could prevent 2,300 hospital and emergency room visits, as well as cut asthma symptoms by 1.3 million cases in 2026 alone by reducing air pollution. The council is also worried about backsliding on pollution standards for power plants, particularly the proposal to overturn the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal-fired power plants. 'These common-sense rules are on track to deliver overwhelmingly positive outcomes for the nation, including preventing premature deaths, reducing hospital visits, and eliminating toxic mercury pollution that threatens public health and pollutes our waters and wildlife,' Didisheim said. The EPA projected the updated standards could have eliminated 1,000 pounds of mercury and 65,000 tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of a gas-powered car driving more than 150 million miles — in 2028. Mercury pollution from upwind power plants has been a concern for Maine over the past few decades, the council said. Maine fish, loons and eagles have some of the highest mercury levels in North America, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The state has recommended pregnant women, women of childbearing age and young children limit their fish consumption since 1994 because of persistently high mercury levels. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
