Democrats worry the agency is easing air, water pollution rules in a ‘pandemic of pollution’
Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will question EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Wednesday as his agency faces legal challenges and mounting criticism for easing enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EPA is among federal agencies that have issued a flurry of regulations and rules during the pandemic, a pattern legal experts have said may be intended to avoid the reach of a law that allows Congress to strike down regulations shortly after they are finalized.
Last week, nine state attorneys general sued the EPA for issuing what they called a “broad, open-ended policy,” referring to the agency’s March 26 decision to allow companies to determine for themselves if they can meet reporting requirements for air and water pollution during the crisis. Continue reading.