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States pick up where EPA left off
Georgia - America is a nation of do-it-yourselfers who don't mind rolling up their sleeves to paint a house or, if circumstances demand, construct a whole democracy from scratch.
But only recently has that philosophy been applied to the nation's air pollution laws. Frustrated by Bush administration proposals that severely weaken the federal Clean Air Act, several states -- including Georgia -- are crafting more stringent, home-grown rules to protect the environment and public health.
Environmental officials in at least five states disagree with changes being made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allow factories and coal-fired power plants to upgrade their facilities without installing the most modern pollution-fighting equipment. Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin are now trying to plug that regulatory gap.