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PetitionOn September 24, 2008, The United States filed a petition for rehearing in the Clean Air Interstate Rule case. Read the Petition (PDF 23pp, 1058k) Declarations by Brian McLean and William Harnett (PDF 11pp, 454k) NoticeOn July 11, 2008, the D.C. Circuit vacated EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule. EPA is reviewing the Court's decisions and evaluating its impacts. Read the Court's Opinion (PDF) (60pp, 221k) |
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“CAIR will result in the largest pollution reductions and health benefits of any air rule in more than a decade. The action we are taking will require all 28 states to be good neighbors, helping states downwind by controlling airborne emissions at their source.” --Steve
Johnson, Acting EPA Adminstrator |
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States Covered by CAIR |
On March 10, 2005, EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), a rule that will achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade. CAIR will ensure that Americans continue to breathe cleaner air by dramatically reducing air pollution that moves across state boundaries. In 2015, CAIR will provide health and environmental benefits valued at more than 25 times the cost of compliance.
CAIR will permanently cap emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the eastern United States. CAIR achieves large reductions of SO2 and/or NOx emissions across 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia. When fully implemented, CAIR will reduce SO2 emissions in these states by over 70 percent and NOx emissions by over 60 percent from 2003 levels. This will result in $85 to $100 billion in health benefits and nearly $2 billion in visibility benefits per year by 2015 and will substantially reduce premature mortality in the eastern United States. The benefits will continue to grow each year with further implementation.
A closely related action is the EPA Clean Air Mercury Rule, the first ever federally-mandated requirements that coal-fired electric utilities reduce their emissions of mercury. Together the Clean Air Mercury Rule and the Clean Air Interstate Rule create a multi-pollutant strategy to reduce emissions throughout the United States.
The Bush Administration continues to believe that the President's Clear Skies legislation is a more efficient, effective, long-term mechanism to achieve large-scale national reductions. Clear Skies legislation applies nationwide and is modeled on the highly successful Acid Rain Program. The Agency remains committed to working with Congress to pass legislation.
Where to find more information:
Where You Live - Descriptions of the health and environmental benefits of the Clean Air Interstate Rule in each of the 28 states in the Eastern US and the District of Columbia.
Basic Information - Summary of the Clean Air Interstate Rule as well as a summary of the design of the program and the benefits it would provide.
Regulatory Actions - Links to proposed and final rules, fact sheets, and other rulemaking documents.
Charts and Tables - A collection of printable charts, tables, and graphics demonstrating the health and environmental benefits of the Clean Air Interstate Rule.
Technical Information - Technical support information and links to related information.
Implementation - Links to frequently asked questions, reports and analyses, Notice of Data Availability, and other implementation topics.