Court strikes down 2004 EPA smog rules

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061222/pl_nm/usa_environment_smog_dc

Court strikes down 2004 EPA smog rules

By Chris Baltimore 54 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Smog-reduction regulations proposed by the Bush administration in 2004 are too weak, a U.S. court ruled on Friday, sending the rules back to the
Environmental Protection Agency for reworking.


EPA's proposal to set an eight-hour standard for ozone emissions violates the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia court said in a 40-page ruling.

The ruling came in response to a suit filed by environmental groups, a local California air regulator and several states who wanted more stringent limits on smog.

At issue was the EPA's April 2004 ruling that 474 of the nation's 2,700 counties in 31 states have unacceptable levels of ground-level ozone, a major ingredient in unhealthy smog.

About 159 million Americans live in counties that violate the new standards, the agency said when it issued the rule.

[bluerum]

1. One small victory at a time. Lets see if they come back with something

more useful - something that helps protect people instead of ozone emitting industrial equipment.

[Ecumenist]

2. Amen!! Looks like things are starting to turn around

Finally and sanity is returning to this country, in spite of what the idiots currently squatting in the whitehouse try to do.

[Mabus]

3. The spin: Activist judges

But this is great news.

[skyblue]

4. Urban Air Pollution linked to Forest Fires.

Scientists Link Urban Air Pollution to Distant Forest Fires