The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies kicked off its monthly webinar series on EPA's Regulatory Agenda with the inaugural topic focused on "Utility Air Toxics Rule." The webinar took place on Wednesday July 13, 2011 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and was free and open to the public.

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect human health and the environment.  This Joint Center webinar explored the agency's current initiatives, with a particular focus on its regulatory activities. Presenters covered both climate rules and the air rules, and explained the rulemaking process.  An overview of the Utility Air Toxics Rule was provided, and the critical issues identified as important considerations were discussed. Topics included the immense health benefits of the rule; the disproportionate impact of toxic air pollution on communities of color; the existence of cost-effective technologies to reduce emissions (which are currently being used by several companies); and an assessment of the overstated projected economic damages cited by industry as well the actual damages borne by vulnerable populations due to toxic air pollution.

The webinar is available for viewing and slides are available for download.