The party-line vote marked the first time in the 55-year history of the Clean Air Act that Congress has moved to weaken the power of the landmark environmental law.

The Senate on Thursday approved an effort to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule tied to the Clean Air Act and designed to limit 7 of the most hazardous air pollutants that are emitted by heavy industry.

The 52-46 party-line vote marked the first time in the 55-year history of the Clean Air Act that Congress has moved to weaken the power of the landmark environmental law.

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The rule tied to the Clean Air Act was finalized last year to close a loophole that required all “major” sources of seven hazardous air pollutants to reduce their emissions by the maximum achievable amount, a policy called “Once in, Always In.”

The rule requires that industrial facilities — often chemical plants, oil refineries, and other industrial factories classified as “major” sources of toxic air pollution — always maintain strict pollution controls. Even if they comply and limit those pollution levels, those facilities would always be labeled “major” sources under the rule.

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    12·
    1 day ago

    So, basically, industrial plants that produce toxic air pollution have to meet stricter standards than, say, a food production facility generating far fewer toxic air pollutants. The rule calls the former a “major” producer. But the oligarchs who run the plant are arguing that, once measures are in place to resuce their air pollution down to lower levels, they should not be considered “major” producers anymore and thus should not be subject to the stricter standards. In other words, because the regulations worked, they should no longer be regulated.

    This is some absurdist department of new truth bullshit.