House Energy and Commerce Committee
Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee
Examining EPA’s Proposed PM2.5 Rule
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials will hold a hearing entitled “Protecting American Manufacturing: Examining EPA’s Proposed PM2.5 Rule.” The hearing will examine issues surrounding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reconsideration of air quality standards for fine particulate matter, including potential implementation challenges and impacts on manufacturing and economic development.
Witnesses:- Bryce Bird, Director, Division of Air Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and Past President of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA)
- Glenn Hamer, President and CEO, Texas Association of Business
- Tim Hunt, Senior Director Air Quality Programs, American Forest & Paper Association and American Wood Council
- Almeta E. Cooper, National Manager, Health Equity, Moms Clean Air Force
The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common pollutants, so-called criteria pollutants, including particulate matter. 1 The CAA requires the primary standards for these pollutants to be set at a level that, in the judgment of the EPA Administrator, is requisite to protect public health, allowing for an adequate margin of safety. The CAA requires further that EPA “complete a thorough review” of these standards every five years and make revisions as may be appropriate to maintain the requisite level of protection.