On December 8, the House passed H.R. 1633, which would limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to include agricultural dust in its regulation of Particulate Matter (PM) through the Clean Air Act. Particulate Matter is one of the criteria pollutants for which EPA must develop National Ambient Air Quality Standards which are updated every five years and currently include agricultural dust. The bill would maintain the current standard for one year but thereafter, prohibits federal regulation if a state or locality has already regulated nuisance dust and requires the Administrator to find that nuisance dust causes substantial adverse public health concerns and the benefits of regulating outweigh the costs of doing so. There are two companion bills in the Senate, S. 1528 and S. 1803. The Administration has indicated it would veto the bill.

Links: H.R.1633, S.1528, S.1803