New guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 20 to help states prepare for the second implementation period of the federal regional haze program puts emphasis on “discretion and flexibilities” they can use to comply with long-standing mandates to protect visibility in federal areas.
While it is not binding, the EPA’s new regional haze guidance document replaces a draft guidance issued by the Obama administration in 2016. Its key objective is to provide states with guidance to develop a regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) for the second implementation period (2018–2028) for the 1999-promulgated Regional Haze Rule.
