Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act

This bill tells the Environmental Protection Agency to release clear instructions and rules at the same time it sets or updates national air quality standards. Those instructions must explain how builders and facilities should apply for the air permit they need before starting construction or expansion. If the EPA doesn’t publish those instructions on time, the new standard cannot be used to judge those permit applications until the instructions are out.

It also makes a special exception for the 2024 primary annual particulate matter standard. If a permit application was already complete by the date EPA publishes final area designations for that standard, or if a draft permit or preliminary decision was publicly noticed within 60 days after those designations, the 2024 standard will not be used to review that application.

• Who is affected: States, local and Tribal permitting offices; companies or facilities that need an air permit before building or expanding; nearby communities.
• What changes: EPA must provide “how-to” rules alongside any new or revised national air standard; without those, the new standard can’t be used for permit reviews. Certain 2024 particulate matter cases are reviewed under earlier rules if they meet the timing steps above.
• What stays the same: Projects must still use strong pollution controls, and States, local, and Tribal governments can set stricter limits than the national standards.