EPA Reverses Decades-Old ‘Forever’ Air-Pollution Policy

The EPA is withdrawing a longstanding pollution policy aimed at reducing hazardous materials, like mercury and lead, in the air. Late Thursday, the Agency announced that it would rid of its “once-in always-in” policy that “forever” classified major polluters once they hit a certain emissions level. Those who argued for the move suggested the policy punished entities with regulations even if they made significant improvements to curb pollution. Environmentalists and lawmakers against the withdrawal say that the classification system prevented entities from cutting down pollution just enough to avoid the being classified as a major source.