MPCA board approves haze-cutting rules for NE Minn.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency board has approved new regulations to curb haze over northern Minnesota.

The Duluth News Tribune reports the rules were approved 7-1 Tuesday. They still must be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has ordered that air over national parks and wild lands should be haze-free by 2064.

The state rules are aimed at cutting 30,000 tons of emissions annually to reduce haze over areas such as Voyageurs National Park, Isle Royale National Park in Michigan and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that receive special protections under the federal Clean Air Act.

But critics, including federal land managers and environmental groups, say the state plan doesn't go far enough. They argued for tougher requirements on taconite and coal-burning power plants.

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Information from: Duluth News Tribune