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Return to The Canary Coalition - Main Page air pollution news please send us your links to related news articles VIEW NEWS ARCHIVES / VIEW CANARY PRESS RELEASES @ ENN RECENT RELATED NEWS & COMMENTARY February
27, 2003 In the latest evidence of a statewide groundswell the Town Council of Chapel Hill, NC voted unanimously to pass a resolution urging Attorney General Roy Cooper to file a Petition for Review against a ruling issued by the EPA that revises the New Source Review (NSR) Provision of the Clean Air Act. The vote, on Monday night, was 9-0. In passing the resolution Chapel Hill joined the Town of Sylva and the City of Asheville in sending similar messages to the Attorney General. The decisions were unanimous in each location. NSR is that provision within the Clean Air Act that mandates the cleanup of grandfathered factories and power plants when they are improved or enlarged in any way other than routine maintenance. The EPA's Final NSR rule, issued on Dec. 31, would allow these older plants to increase in size and emission output without upgrading emission control systems. Most observers believe this will result in more emissions of Nitrogen Oxide, Sulphur Dioxide and Mercury in areas that are already experiencing severe air pollution problems. States on the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountain Range could be hit hard. If North Carolina files suit against the EPA by the March 3 deadline, it will become the 12th state plus the District of Columbia to file. Washington DC and the State of Delaware filed on February 26 joining New York, New Jersey, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Chapel-Hill, Asheville and Sylva were first approached with the resolutions by the Canary Coalition, a rapidly growing grassroots Clean Air Advocacy movement sprouting out of western North Carolina and, now, with members in ten states. "It's becoming clear that the people of North Carolina want the State to take this action and comply with Section 10 of the NC Clean Smokestacks Act. North Carolina law requires state agencies to use all available means, to influence upwind out-of-state polluters, to raise emission control standards. Litigation is one method specified by the law. The Attorney General has an obligation to follow through." explains Avram Friedman, of the Canary Coalition. "But, there's a race with time, now. March 3 is the deadline for states to file a Petition for Review against the EPA ruling. For those who are concerned about air quality issues in our state and in our country, now is the time to contact Attorney General Cooper's office and Secretary of DENR Bill Ross's office and let them know that you expect North Carolina to join with the eleven states and the District of Columbia who are suing the EPA over its decision to weaken the Clean Air Act." NC
Office of the Attorney General Secretary
of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) January
16, 2003 Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) plan to offer a budget rider to block the Bush administration's new source review reforms under the Clean Air Act, an Edwards spokesman said Jan. 15. Edwards hopes to block the reforms with a rider to legislation that would fund federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, during fiscal year 2003,the spokesman said. The Senate began debate on the funding bill Jan. 15. EPA
published a final rule creating new source review
exemptions for companies that install modern pollution
controls when they upgrade or Edwards joined environmental groups in charging that EPA was creating new loopholes for polluters, but EPA maintains the changes will reducepollution by making it easier for companies to improve energy efficiency. During
2002, Edwards called on EPA to refrain from finalizing
the rule until it released an analysis of the health and
environmental impacts of Point of
Order A Senate
Democratic source said Edwards is being supported in the
appropriations rider by outgoing Senate Environment and
Public Works Senate and environmental group sources said that if the Edwards amendment fails, it would get senators on record on whether they support or oppose the new source review changes and heighten the debate over the issue. With Republicans in the majority, a victory on the amendment was seen as an uphill battle but possible because several Northeastern Republicans have criticized the new source review reforms. Frank Maisano, a spokesman for electric utilities, said a vote on a budget rider may show the extent of Southern and Midwestern Democratic support for the reforms. Senator
Edwards Contact information: February 28 - N.C. Stays Out Of EPA Dispute (Asheville Citizen-Times) EPA Compact Offers Alternative To
Stricter Regulation Can WNC Counties Reduce Local Air
Pollution? The Highest Patriotism Lies In
Weaning U.S. From Fossil Fuels The Cost Of Dirty Air Lawsuit Busts Clean Air Trust Fund SEPTEMBER 2002 Great Smoky Mountain National
Park: Most Polluted National Park National Association Of
Manufacturers Named Clean Air 'Villain Of The Month' by
Clean Air Trust' Asheville Doctor: Clear Skies
Clears Way For More Pollution AUGUST 2002 Regional Pollution Study
Complete, SAMI Issues Report Variety Of Pollutants Dirties
Region's Air Great Smoky National Park
Issues Severe Ozone Advisory Researchers To Determine
Effects Of Air Pollution On Smokies Smokies Could Face Worst Ozone
Season 'Clear Skies': Bush's Gift To
Coal Burners Bad Air Days - Scientists Find
New Pieces To Air Pollution Puzzle Federal Agencies Ordered To
Obey Alternative Vehicle Law EPA Refuses To Delay Diesel
Rule Senators Press Bush On Clean
Air "Nearly half the Senate, including two Democratic presidential aspirants and three Republicans, urged the administration yesterday to postpone plans to ease enforcement of industrial air pollution regulations -- a sign that environmental issues may be gaining prominence in the November elections." Edwards And 43 Other Senators
Push Bush On Clean Air JULY 2002 Bush Introduces Clear Skies
Legislation "John Kirkwood, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said the administration's Clear Skies plan "will dismantle the Clean Air Act and severely weaken the nation's effort to fight air pollution."" Air Pollution Aggravates The
Common Cold California's Clean Air Bill
Passes California Governor Signs
Landmark Auto Emissions Law California Takes Lead On Auto
Emission Pollution Law Bush Plan to Ease Clean Air
Rules Roils Court Cases Against Utilities Sulfur Reductions Fuel Gasoline
Debate In North Carolina Clearing The Air On Bush's New
Plan "Clearing The Air: Why I Quit
Bush's EPA" by Eric Shaeffer Air Over Smokies As Hazy As EPA's
Pollution Solution Red, White & Blue: Conserving
America The Beautiful Canary Gold: Scrubbing Up With The
Clean Smokestacks Bill U.S. Federal Court Finds DC Air
Pollution Violates Federal Law Click here to read the court's opinion. EPA Leader Gets Firsthand Look At
Great Smokies' Haze Clean Air Trust Reacts To EPA
Media Stunt In Great Smokies EPA Chief Says Bush Emissions Cuts
Would Save Lives "Environmental groups say the White House plan would weaken existing clean air rules to benefit the energy firms that were big contributors to George W. Bush's presidential campaign." JUNE 2002 Senate Committee Backs Power Plant
Emissions Bill EPA Leader Whitman To Visit
Polluted Smokies (Mon. 7/1) Senate Panel Rejects Bush
Dirty-Air Plan Senate To Subpoena White House For
Air Pollution Documents "Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members intend to subpoena the Bush administration this week for documents and e-mails related to a recent decision to relax restrictions on emissions from older coal-fired power plants and refineries."... "Committee chairman James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), a staunch critic of the administration's clean air policies, has been pressing for months to obtain documents describing the administration's deliberations, the likely impact of the proposed rule changes on air quality and enforcement efforts, and the role of the utility industry in shaping the new rules."... Governor Signs Pact Cutting
Utilities' Pollution Taylor Federal Bill Still Up In
Politcal Air Easley Signs Part Of Clean
Smokestacks Legislation In Asheville Air Quality Should Improve:
"Smokestacks Act" Clears Legislature EPA Proposes To Ease Rules On Clean Air U.S. To Relax Air Pollution Rules
For Utilities EPA Proposal Could Undermine Clean Air
Act Trust Assails Bush Plan To Weaken
Clean Air Act Enforcement N.C. House Panel OKs Pollution
Bill Clean Smokestacks Bill Expected To
Be Revived MAY 2002 Utilities File Plan To Sell
Renewable Energy To Electric Customers Groups From States In Southeast To
Sue EPA Environmentalists Threaten To Sue
EPA To Force Tougher Air Quality Standards New EPA Study Finds Elevated
Cancer Risks from Toxic Air Pollution Health And Environmental Groups To
Sue EPA To Tackle Smog Problem Summit On Clean Air Slated For
This Weekend Buncombe Commissioners Consider
Ways To Impove Air Quality ... Most Polluting Power Plants'
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