As the wind blows

Good news for clean air: On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Transport Rule. The rule requires that 28 states, which contribute significantly to downwind non-attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), reduce their emissions in accordance with economic feasibility, as determined by the EPA. 

The decision is a strong statement in favor of clean air and human health and against unmitigated air pollution.

For decades, as outlined in the SCOTUSblog, the EPA has struggled to effectively implement the “good neighbor policy” first issued in 1977, and updated in 1990, which seeks to require states to manage their own pollution rather than passing it along to others.  

The crux of the problem is that air pollution doesn't abide by political boundaries. Nor do airborne particles shift uniformly across borders. Instead, prevailing winds flow from west to east in the U.S. For this reason, many eastern states contend with dangerous air pollution blown in from neighboring power plants, along with the particles and ozone generated from their own sources. Particle pollution and ozone are directly linked to increased rates of asthma and other cardiovascular health problems, in addition to climate change.  

Because states can’t regulate sources outside of their boundaries, federal level coordination is necessary in order to ensure that states that rely primarily on coal fired power plants (the dirtiest source of energy available) don't sit back and enjoy artificially cheap power by transferring the health and clean-up costs to citizens and governments downwind.

Curious to know where Pennsylvania stands? The Tribune outlined our state's position back in 2013: Squarely in the middle.

Now that you've made it to here, reward yourself by enjoying this mesmerizing wind map, which may or may not oblige me by illustrating the prevailing wind. 

Valessa Souter-Kline is PennFuture's western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Pittsburgh. She tweets at @ValessaSK.