Bill > SB71

This bill prohibits state agencies from adopting or amending administrative rules that set environmental protection criteria or limitations for various substances, such as chemicals and pollutants, if those criteria are stricter or more extensive than existing federal laws or regulations on the same or similar topics. The bill defines important terms like "best available science" and "manifest bodily harm" to ensure that any new or stricter state-level environmental standards, when no federal standard exists, must be based on robust scientific evidence and demonstrate a direct link to actual physical harm. It also specifies that agencies cannot default to using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System for water quality criteria and requires existing rules to be revised if they do. However, this prohibition does not apply to rules required by federal law, rules that are less stringent than federal standards, rules that repeal or modify existing rules to be less strict, or emergency rules.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Government Affairs

https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search