EPA Approves Weaker Air Quality Plans

0:00It's March 22nd. This is Global News Today, AI-powered stories shaping the world. I'm Cory with the story. A year ago, federal regulators rejected West Virginia's plan to cut sulfur and smog over its national woodlanders areas because of dozen coal plants, skip checks on better pollution controls. Six months later, under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the same plan, shifting focus to just meeting. Visibility targets without requiring those evaluations. This comes under the regional haze rule, which asks states to update air quality plans every 10 years for over 150 national parks and wilderness spots across 36 states. Since it started in 1999, emissions have dropped by hundreds of thousands of tons each year, boosting average visibility from 90 miles to 120 miles in some western parks. Planning groups like the National Parks Conservation Association and Sierra Club slammed the change,

1:01filing lawsuits that claim it lets polluting. Plants dodge upgrades and endangers hazy spots like Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains, and Mammoth Cave. A former Shenandoah air manager remembers thick haze from coal plants back in 2008, but now hikers spot landmarks 75 miles. A way progress they fear could reverse. The EPA has made similar flips in states like California, Colorado, and Hawaii, okaying weaker plans of benchmarks hold, even rejecting ideas like, plant closures over grid reliability worries. Official stress calls role in meeting rising energy demands for manufacturing and national security. As public comments wrap up and lawsuits move forward, the agency balances cleaner skies against keeping fossil fuels running strong.