A throng of environmental and labor organizations has joined forces in a letter protesting the Environmental Protection Agency's agreement Tuesday to grant Intel Corporation unprecedented flexibility in meeting emissions regulations at an Arizona plant.
"This will set back the clock on gains made in environmental protection in the past 20 years," said Michael Leon Guerrero, director of the Southwest Organization Project for the Environment, based in New Mexico. "Lots of abuse can take place as a result."
Under the agreement, which is the first in the national pilot program Project XL, the semiconductor plant will have a ceiling on overall emissions instead of standards for each individual source - simplifying the permit process. Intel has a cap of 50 tons a year for some pollutants, and 10 tons a year for hazardous air pollutants. In exchange for the leniency, Intel promises to lower air pollution emissions.
"We hope that if we perform as planned in the next five years, the program will be broadly implemented not just in our other plants but throughout the industry," said Intel spokesman Howard High. The computer chip manufacturer has plants in New Mexico, Oregon, and California.
Several of the more than 100 organizations also plan demonstrations to protest the EPA's agreement.
