The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule approving revisions to Washington State's air quality regulations, submitted by the Department of Ecology in 2023. These changes address deficiencies identified by the EPA in 2015 regarding excess emissions during startup, shutdown, and malfunction events. The approval includes the removal of certain outdated provisions from the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council's regulations that were not consistent with the Clean Air Act. Additionally, revised regulations are now incorporated by reference, making them enforceable under federal law.
Simple Explanation
The EPA made changes to Washington State's air rules to fix old problems with pollution during power plant start-ups and shutdowns, so now everything follows the national clean air rules, and folks will have to follow these updated rules.