In the United States, low income Black and Brown communities are already more likely to suffer the impacts from permitted pollution from petroleum facilities and other polluting industries. In addition to these known and well documented disparities, regulators have allowed for even more pollution to be released onto these overburdened communities through regulatory loopholes in the Clean Air Act known as Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction, (SSM) leaving communities exposed to dangerous levels of toxic air pollution from multiple sources. Sierra Club and partners are working to ensure EPA implements strong rule-making that eliminates SSM loopholes and prioritizes the most impacted people by upholding equal protection laws. Dozens of community and environmental groups have called on President Biden to close SSM loopholes and end free passes to pollute.
EPA allows facilities like power plants and factories to emit as much pollution as they like during periods of Start-up, Shutdown, and Malfunctions. The amount of pollution emitted during so-called “SSM events” can be 100s to 1000s of times higher than normal operations.
Did you know that there are deadly loopholes in the EPA and state Clean Air Act rules? The Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction loopholes allow polluters to ignore their permitted emission limitations -- and of course they take advantage of this! The consequences are even more deadly air pollution dumped on communities near plants and factories -- who already suffer the greatest burden from these poisons. It's time to close the loopholes! The Sierra Club has partnered with Earthjustice and community activists to create a video to shed light on this issue, and galvanize action to close the SSM loopholes.
Salt Lake City - The EPA on Tuesday proposed rescinding a Biden-era ruling to reclassify Utah's Wasatch Front from “serious” nonattainment of the 2015 ozone standards to mere “moderate” nonattainment, significantly decreasing required pollution reductions. The proposal downplays local emissions, shifting blame to foreign sources instead of reining in local emissions. EPA has issued similar proposed rulings in other states across the West.
MONTGOMERY, AL - A coalition of six organizations submitted a letter to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), demanding better protections for Alabamians in the department’s air pollution reduction plan.
Washington, DC – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal that would effectively eliminate the agency’s longstanding tool to track greenhouse gas emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected large corporations and big polluters’ request to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants.
Detroit, Michigan - A groundbreaking settlement was reached today following a civil rights complaint filed against the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regarding the department’s disproportionate licensing of hazardous waste facilities in predominantly Black and Brown, lower-income communities, and its approval of a significant expansion of the U.S. Ecology North hazardous waste facility.
Victory — Residents impacted by EES Coke’s illegal emissions celebrate the ruling
Denver, CO - Yesterday, the Colorado Legislature passed two important bills to reduce ozone pollution following a compromise that led to the oil and gas industry dropping a number of dangerous ballot measure proposals in exchange for the abandonment of three stronger ozone-related bills.
Washington, D.C – In response to legal action by Earthjustice, Environment Integrity Project, the National Parks Conservation Association, and Sierra Club, the Environmental Protection Agency published notice of a proposed consent decree that includes deadlines for the agency to take action on 33 states’ plans to reduce haze pollution that harms air quality in national parks and wilderness areas.
People exposed to higher levels of fine particulate matter, or soot, are more likely to experience Alzheimer’s disease, new research released this week finds.
Today, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments from polluting states and industry groups seeking to stop implementation of EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan.