North Carolina and Tennessee have extended an agreement for ensuring that new industrial emissions will not degrade air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains or other natural areas, state officials said last week.

The agreement sets procedures for state and federal agencies for exchanging information in the review of permit applications for new or expanded utilities and other large industries. The procedures would apply to permit reviews for facilities where air emissions could affect air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. That would equate to less than six permits each year in North Carolina, according to the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The two states initially signed the agreement in December 1998 and later extended it until July 31, 2001. The newest agreement expired Jan. 31, 2001. Officials extended the agreement for only six months because the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue new national standards later this year.

The agreement had been challenged in a lawsuit filed by the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry that contended that the department had signed the agreement without following procedures. A Superior Court judge recently dismissed the lawsuit.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News