South Carolina must now clean up its air, but only a little bit

US environmental regulators approved South Carolina's plan to reduce regional haze, which is air pollution that makes distant objects look blurry. The state must now make some progress toward clearer air, but the plan allows for very slow improvement.

The Clean Air Act requires states to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. This approval means South Carolina's current plan is legally sufficient, even if it only achieves a small fraction of the required improvement over the next decade. This sets a low bar for other states to follow, potentially slowing down efforts to clean up the air across the country.