Trump’s EPA Proposes to Reward States for Being Bad Neighbors - CleanTechnica

The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to reverse previous disapprovals of State Implementation Plans (SIPs) from several states—Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and Tennessee—that failed to meet Clean Air Act requirements for controlling ozone pollution affecting downwind states. Earlier in 2023 and 2024, the EPA had determined these states were not adequately limiting smog-causing emissions that harm neighboring states’ air quality. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is authorized to impose federal plans to reduce interstate pollution when states fail to act, but this new proposal would prevent the EPA from enforcing such reductions, effectively allowing continued harmful emissions. Environmental groups like the Sierra Club strongly criticize the proposal, highlighting the health consequences of unchecked ozone pollution. The Biden-era Good Neighbor Plan estimated that reducing interstate ozone pollution could prevent thousands of premature deaths, asthma cases, and emergency room visits annually. The Sierra Club notes that adherence to the Good Neighbor Plan