Five major U.S. metro areas could be required to develop plans for reducing air pollution after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that they have failed to meet air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The proposed EPA designations for metropolitan Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York City and Houston also could tighten permitting rules for certain projects in those areas.
The changes were outlined in a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on April 13. EPA published it to update the status of dozens of areas around the U.S. that it says have failed to meet either the 2008 or 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone by deadlines last summer.