EPA asked on Friday for the postponement, saying President Trump’s appointees “are closely reviewing the 2015 Rule to determine whether the Agency should reconsider the rule or some part of it.” The new standard, which imposes tighter restrictions on ground-level ozone, was challenged both by several industry groups and Republican-controlled states as too tough and by a coalition of environmental and public health organizations as not stringent enough.
The three-judge panel ordered EPA “to file status reports on the agency’s review of the 2015 Rule at 90-day intervals beginning 90 days from the date of this order,” adding that within “30 days of the agency notifying the court and the parties what action it has or will be taking with respect to the 2015 Rule, the parties are directed to file motions to govern future proceedings in these consolidated cases.”
EPA has not yet said exactly what it plans to do about the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which the agency lowered from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion. Ozone, generated by the burning of fossil fuels by cars, trucks and factories, produces hazy skies and is linked to lung and heart disease.
Scott Pruitt joined attorneys general from nine other states in challenging the rule before he took the helm of EPA.
