The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that they have temporarily decided not to enforce penalties against the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District in California. This decision comes after the California Air Resources Board submitted a plan aiming to fix issues in the district's air pollution permit program. Although initial problems led to the EPA disapproving a district rule in 2023, the current plan addresses most issues, prompting the EPA to delay penalties while considering the public's comments. The EPA is using a special process to make this determination quickly because they believe it's in the public's best interest.
Simple Explanation
The EPA has decided to pause punishments for a California area because they believe the area is fixing the problems in how they handle air pollution permits, but they still want to hear from people before making a final choice.