Climate change is not the end-all-be-all of regulating our air, says EPA. Yesterday, the EPA announced a proposed rule that will change the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for sulfur dioxide. This rule would eliminate the current 24-hour and annual standards and replace them with a new, more stringent, one-hour standard of between 50 and 100 parts per billion (ppb). EPA is also proposing changes to its monitoring and reporting requirements that may require more reporting for facilities surrounding urban areas and more frequent notification to the public of short term SO2 levels. A public hearing will be held in Atlanta on January 5, 2010 and a final rule is to be expected by June 2, 20010
