The purpose of the U.S. Clean Air Act (CAA) is to ensure that the quality of the air people breathe does not threaten their health. Since its passage in 1970, emissions of air pollution have decreased, air quality has improved, and the national economy has moved forward. Given this record of success, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) moves under the Trump Administration to weaken New Source Review (NSR)—an essential source-by-source permitting program—are disconcerting.
NSR permitting is the community-level lynchpin of the CAA’s strategy for preventing excessive air pollution and protecting public health and the environment as businesses and the economy change and expand.
