New EPA Ozone Standard Is Met With a few Disapproval In Wisconsin

1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightened the allowable future ground-level ozone limit to 70 parts-per-billion (ppb), a regulatory revision opposed by businesses and criticized by public health advocates as too weak.

Smog is a yellowish or dark fog consisting of ground level ozone and fine particles released into the atmosphere by the chemical reaction of burning gasoline and diesel fuel in automobiles and trucks, the operation of coal fired power plants, and other industrial activities.

The pro-business Competitive Enterprise Institute said compliance costs of the new ozone regulations will lead to a loss of jobs, particularly in the manufacturing and mining industries.

“Put simply – ozone pollution means it hurts to breathe for those most vulnerable: our kids, our elderly and those suffering from heart and lung ailments”, said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

“Setting the standard at 70 parts per billion would be nothing short of a betrayal of the Clean Air Act’s promise”, he said, according to the Huffington Post.

Pushing back against any efforts to lower the standard, Texas environmental regulators paid a private firm $1.65 million to poke holes in the science behind the new threshold.

Maryland Environment Secretary Benjamin H. Grumbles said his staff is confident the state can meet the new pollution standard without great difficulty.

“Unable to achieve his political legacy through the deliberative legislative process, (Obama) has turned to governing through regulations and executive orders, and, now, Michigan will pay a steep price for what American manufacturers are calling the most expensive regulation in USA history”, Miller said in a statement.

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments had urged the EPA not to revise the ozone standard in comments submitted to the agency earlier this year, noting the “significant” improvement in air quality in Metro Detroit during the past 15 years. He also secured a measure that would protect states from any consequences from the EPA should they forego submitting a state plan for complying with the agency’s recently finalized power plant rule. Since the mid 2000s, the EPA’s own scientists had recommended a level of between 60 and 70 ppb.

“After an unprecedented level of outreach by manufacturers and other stakeholders, the worst-case scenario was avoided”, Jay Timmons, president of the Washington-based National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement.

The agency’s science advisers had suggested a new ozone standard lower than 70 ppb and as low as 60 ppb.

EPA is also strengthening the secondary ozone standard to 70 ppb and is extending the ozone monitoring season for 32 states and the District of Columbia. “It will allow thousands of deaths, hospitalizations, asthma attacks, and missed school and work days that would be prevented by the much stronger standard supported by medical experts”. That’s up from 217 counties affected at the current ozone standard, he said. The previous standard, set by the Bush administration, was 75 parts per billion.

Groups representing physicians and pediatricians had called for the strictest possible standard while business interests waged an aggressive campaign to persuade the Obama administration to keep it at 75.

The rule issued Thursday meets a court-ordered deadline set after public health groups sued in the wake of the administration’s 2011 withdrawal of ozone rules.

The control of smog is one of the many pollution regulations that is mandated under the Clear Air Act.

“Today’s decision, while a step towards improving America’s air quality, is inadequate”. Because just a small number of exceedances of the 70-ppb standard can trigger a violation, the rule effectively should result in ozone levels that are generally a fair amount lower, providing further protection, McCarthy said.