Washington, D.C. – American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Heidi Brock issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of their final ambient air policy under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the final policy on Tuesday afternoon (12/3).

“Paper and wood products manufacturers applaud EPA’s action that recognizes its ambient air policy must fit modern times and monitoring technology. This common-sense approach will allow the EPA to embrace realistic exposure scenarios to estimate the air quality impacts of projects aimed at modernizing U.S. manufacturing plants. Moreover, the new policy fulfills the twin purposes of the Clean Air Act to enhance the quality of our air and promote the productive capacity of the nation. As one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the nation, we have invested billions of dollars on environmental stewardship with significant air quality improvements. Our industry welcomes regulatory policy that supports its ability to apply sustainable business practices to help grow the economy and create American manufacturing jobs.”