Six AGs Filed Comments on Draft Policy Assessment on Particulate Matter Pollution

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra led a coalition of six attorneys general in submitting comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft policy assessment for the Clean Air Act’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) pollution. PM has been associated with a wide range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory impacts and cancer. The EPA’s draft policy assessment is supposed to help the agency develop conclusions about the adequacy of existing PM standards and potential alternatives under the NAAQS. The attorneys general highlighted several problems with the draft Policy Assessment’s development process, including the EPA’s consolidation of key components of the review process and elimination of opportunities for public comment on multiple interim drafts of critical documents produced as part of the review.