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EPA has fallen short of regulating hazardous air pollutants as required by the Clean Air Act, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a report released on July 26.
Through the Clean Air Act, Congress directed EPA to control emissions of some 190 chemicals designated as hazardous air pollutants, often called air toxics. These substances, which include benzene and asbestos, can cause cancer or other health problems.
GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, finds that the agency's air toxics program primarily has set limits on emissions from large industrial facilities, including chemical manufacturing plants. But EPA lacks data to assess how well these actions have reduced health risks from hazardous air pollutants, GAO says.
Meanwhile, EPA has failed to meet requirements in the Clean Air Act to control air toxics released from vehicles and commercial facilities, such as dry cleaners, GAO says.
The report recommends that EPA set a schedule for meeting statutory mandates for controlling air toxics and determine how much money the agency will need to do so. EPA also should improve its inventory of air toxic emissions and how it measures costs and benefits of air toxics reductions, GAO adds.
"When we passed the Clean Air Act in 1990, we gave EPA clear instructions that it needed to make toxic air pollutants a top priority," says Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), one of the lawmakers who requested the GAO report. ???It is a shameful fact that EPA has treated air toxics as a low priority."
Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), another legislator who requested the report, says, ???EPA has recognized the scope of the problem but has abrogated its responsibility of implementing a commensurate strategy to confront the crisis." She adds, "EPA must develop a plan for improving the management of its air toxics program by taking the necessary regulatory actions."
Jeffords, ranking member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, says Congress needs to get involved. "We need comprehensive oversight of this program and a plan for getting it back on track immediately," he says.
The report (GAO-06-669) is available at www.gao.gov/new.items/d06669.pdf.
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