California Challenging EPA's New Clean Air Rules -- California Capitol Hill Bulletin -- Volume 10, Bulletin 6 -- March 13, 2003

California joined 10 Northeast states and Illinois and Wisconsin in filing a lawsuit disputing changes to clean-air laws by the Administration, arguing that the changes could undermine the state's ability to set and implement its own set of stringent environmental regulations.

The new rules, approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December 2002 and scheduled to take effect next month, allow industrial plants, refineries, manufacturing and power plants to build and expand without requiring them to install the most advanced emission controls.

California's emissions controls are usually considerably stricter than those put forward by the federal government. The state alleges that the new EPA rules will undercut its regulatory program.

To expand communications between Washington and California, the California Institute provides periodic faxed bulletins regarding current activity on Capitol Hill which directly impacts our state. Bulletins are published weekly during sessions of Congress, and occasionally during other periods. The e-mail edition is made possible in part by in kind donations from Sun Microsystems and IBM Corp.

The California Institute for Federal Policy Research
A Source of Information on California and Federal Policy
419 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
voice: 202-546-3700   fax: 202-546-2390  ransdell@calinst.org    http://www.calinst.org