A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Air Plan Approval; Indiana; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period".
Summary
This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act, a special procedure that allows Congress to overturn federal agency rules. The rule being challenged is the EPA's approval of Indiana's plan for reducing air pollution that causes regional haze—the cloudiness that reduces visibility in national parks, wilderness areas, and other protected federal lands. Indiana's plan, submitted in 2021, addresses how the state will reduce emissions from industrial facilities that contribute to visibility problems in Class I areas (protected federal lands) in other states. If this resolution passes both chambers of Congress and is signed by the President, the EPA's approval of Indiana's plan would be nullified, and the state would need to develop a different approach to meet federal visibility protection requirements. The resolution is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full Senate.