EPA Moves to Roll Back 'Good Neighbor' Smog Rule
EPA proposes approving eight state ozone plans, beginning a rollback of the 'good neighbor' rule and opening a 30-day public comment period.
Overview
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is proposing to approve ozone plans from Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico and Tennessee, a move that would roll back the 'good neighbor' rule.
The action follows the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that the EPA could not enforce the rule and comes after the Biden-era agency disapproved or proposed disapproval of the eight states' plans, records show.
Sierra Club lawyer Zachary Fabish said the proposal "rewards states for being bad neighbors" and will "make Americans sicker," while Lee Zeldin said the move advances "cooperative federalism," according to their statements.
If finalized, the approvals would remove federal oversight tied to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and the EPA said it intends to withdraw proposed error corrections for Iowa and Kansas.
The agency said it will accept public comment for at least 30 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register and plans a separate action on interstate transport obligations.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this report neutrally: they balance EPA statements about 'cooperative federalism' and legal context (2024 Supreme Court ruling) with environmental-group criticism that the move 'rewards states for being bad neighbors.' The piece attributes loaded language to sources, lists affected states, and provides procedural details like public comment periods.