The DNR’s new Air Quality Trends website allows visitors to the site to see ozone and fine particles (PM2.5) monitoring data for the state on a county by county basis.

EPA has proposed to significantly reduce emissions of conventional air pollutants from cars and trucks while at the same time reducing the amount of sulfur in the nation’s gasoline supply. The new rules, which are known as “Tier 3” emissions and fuel standards, attempt to harmonize federal emissions requirements with California state requirements, creating one national market for automobiles.

On March 28, EPA finalized revisions to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS (also known as “Utility MACT”) for new power plants, which were originally promulgated in February 2012.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released its draft 2013 Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Regulations, covering regulatory activity through the end of fiscal year 2012. Susan E. Dudley, Director of the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University, questions some of the report’s methodology.

The EPA, Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), and various co-defendants and co-plaintiffs, have entered into a settlement agreement which will significantly alter Wisconsin’s energy generation portfolio and cost over a billion dollars. This action is part of a larger EPA plan to “eliminate or minimize emissions from coal-fired power plants, cement plants, glass plants and acid plants, which have been shown to seriously affect human health and the environment, by ensuring that there are no under-controlled coal-fired electric generating units, cement, acid, or glass plants.”

Depending on the type of equipment they use and the air pollutants emitted from that equipment, some local wastewater treatment plants and water supply systems in Wisconsin may be required to get an air pollution control permit from Wisconsin DNR.

A new factsheet, WWTP and Water Supply Systems – Do I Need an Air Pollution Permit?, has been developed to help operators of wastewater treatment plants and water supply systems determine whether they need to get an air pollution permit, as well as the requirements for emergency engines or generators used at these facilities.
 

EPA Faces Challenges in Addressing Damage Caused by Airborne Pollutants

The EPA has released a new tool that allows the public to see graphical illustrations and maps of enforcement and compliance data for waste, air, and water programs across the country.

The EPA has posted the second year of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions data on its website, which provides public access to emissions data by sector, by greenhouse gas, and by geographic region such as county or state.

The EPA has filed its response brief in White Stallion Energy Center, LLC v. EPA, defending its Utility Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (Utility MATS) Rule from challenges from both industry and environmental groups that charge it is too strict and not strict enough, respectively.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has declined to rehear EME Homer City Generation LP v. EPA, the case in which the court vacated the EPA’s Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR).

In Natural Resource Defense Council v. EPA (D.C. Cir. No. 08-1250 et al.), the D.C. Circuit ordered EPA to revise its rules governing how states implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

On January 15, in compliance with settlement agreements, the EPA released its final rule amending the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) and revising the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines (SI). The final RICE and SI rule applies to diesel backup generator engines that are primarily used by hospitals, industrial facilities, data centers, water and sewage plants, oil and gas producers, and other large facilities in response to grid emergencies or as an alternative to grid-based electricity during periods of high demand.

Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) has agreed to a settlement with the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice that resolves allegations that WPS failed to obtain proper permits for new facility constructions and expansions during 1994-2009, a violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The EPA has published the final Boiler MACT rules for major and area sources in the Federal Register, starting the countdown to compliance.

The EPA has issued its long-delayed revised final rules (Revised Final Rules: Area. Major. CISWI.) imposing the first-ever limits on emissions for mercury, acid gases and fine particulate matter, or soot, from boilers and incinerators. The three final rules provide several additional years for full compliance in an effort to minimize job and economic impacts.

In response to a court order, the EPA has finalized the first update to the national air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particle pollution (PM2.5), including soot, in 15 years.

The EPA has released a proposal to revise the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule (also known as the MATS or Utility MACT) for new coal and oil plants. The proposal does not change the final emission limits for existing power plants.

In April 2012, the DNR launched a retrospective review of administrative rules impacting small business in response to Gov. Walker’s “Executive Order #61 Relating to Job Creation and Small Business Expansion.” The agency is now accepting comments on the draft report from phase 2 of the review.

Various news sources preview what Pres. Obama’s energy and environmental policy could look like in his second term.