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This Week at the Environmental Protection Agency — week of July 20, 2026

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This week, EPA took steps on air quality plans in four states and moved to expand oversight of certain industrial chemicals. Most notable for residents of central Pennsylvania, EPA proposed approving an updated plan to keep fine particle pollution within federal limits in Harrisburg, Lebanon, Carlisle, and York.

Air quality plans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey

  • EPA proposes approving Pennsylvania’s updated air quality plan for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Harrisburg, Lebanon, Carlisle, and York. The update, required by the Clean Air Act, is meant to ensure local fine-particle pollution levels remain within federal limits.

  • EPA proposes approving New Jersey’s updated ozone pollution plans. The state’s revised State Implementation Plan would align its air quality management with federal Clean Air Act requirements and confirm which technologies industries must use to limit ozone-forming emissions.

  • EPA proposes approving updated air pollution control requirements for the Equitrans, Inc. Hartson Compressor Station in Washington County, Pennsylvania. This narrow administrative action covers how one facility manages its air emissions to comply with federal standards.

State air program updates

  • EPA approves changes to Maine’s air emission licensing rules, including updates to Chapter 140, Part 70. The change is described as an administrative update to keep state paperwork consistent with federal requirements and prepare for digital filing systems.

  • EPA approves Missouri’s updates for controlling petroleum storage emissions in the St. Louis area. The changes target how petroleum liquids are stored, loaded, and transferred, and are largely administrative to streamline paperwork and align regulations across the state.

Chemical oversight rules

  • EPA is issuing a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) for multi-walled carbon nanotubes. It covers manufacturing or processing methods not previously covered by existing agency orders or notices, giving EPA a chance to evaluate new uses before they reach industrial scale.

  • EPA proposes a rule requiring companies to notify the agency before using certain chemicals in ways not previously authorized. This would let EPA check for potential risks before a company changes how it handles a chemical.

This weekly agency digest is generated from federal records (the Federal Register and Congress.gov) and summarized in plain English. It may simplify or omit detail — follow the linked official sources before relying on any item. Part of The Boring Parts.

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