A federal appeals court Wednesday blocked new rules by the Bush
administration that would exempt companies from installing state-of-the-art air
pollution controls when they modify or expand their plants.
The changes, some of the most contentious modifications to the Clean Air Act in
more than a decade, were scheduled to go into effect this week. But the ruling
by a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington,
D.C., temporarily blocked implementation of a key portion of the regulatory
plan.
Environmentalists hailed the decision, calling it a necessary step to stop White
House efforts that they contend will relax air pollution controls at thousands
of power plants and factories nationwide.
"The administration's rule change would allow industry to renovate facilities in
ways that dramatically increase air pollution without installing up-to-date
pollution controls or even notifying nearby ...