Federal appeals court halts EPA effort to impose air pollution plan in Missouri

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

A federal appeals court has put on hold an Environmental Protection Agency regulation aimed at reducing air pollution in Missouri, drawing criticism from environmentalists but praise from the state’s attorney general who called the proposal “unconstitutional overreach.” Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey said Wednesday that the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week granted his request for a stay. It wasn’t immediately clear if the EPA would appeal. At issue is a “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act which requires states to submit a plan detailing how they’ll address air pollution that can drift to neighboring states. The EPA deemed Missouri’s proposal inadequate and in March finalized its plan for the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard.