PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. - The
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has approved regulations which would
speed air pollution permits for entire industries and for some 1,500
companies which are not considered major polluters.
The action endorsed Wednesday on a 6-0 vote would affect companies
that are considered small sources of pollution and emit no more than 25
tons of a pollutant each year.
Those companies are responsible for approximately 6 percent of all
reported emissions in the state, according to the Department of Natural
Resources.
The regulations would also affect industries with comparable
emissions. Companies in the lithographic industry or asphalt makers,
for example, would be covered by an industrywide permit, meaning they
would not be forced to go through an individual permit process.
Such permits would be negotiated with industry representatives over the next year to set pollution limits and obligations.
Both the Legislative Audit Bureau and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency criticized the DNR early last year over its air
permit approval process.
The agency subsequently sped up approvals of air permits, but the
DNR would shrink the approval process to no more than 15 days under the
new regulations.
The rules, which must still go to the Legislature, were largely supported by business groups.
"From our perspective, there will be more simplicity, speed and
flexibility," said Jeff Schoepke of Wisconsin Manufacturers &
Commerce, the largest business lobbying organization in the state.
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce unsuccessfully pressed the board to raise the limit to 50 tons per pollutant.
Melissa Scanlon, an environmental attorney, said the rules are
written so companies could evade prosecution if they violated air
pollution laws.
"This turns the DNR into a toothless tiger," said the lawyer for Midwest Environmental Advocates of Madison.
