The Environmental Protection Agency heard calls from business groups to leave the ozone standard alone and shouts from environmental groups to drastically lower it.
In the end, the EPA angered everyone.
The new National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone is now 70 parts per billion and will go into effect in 2025. That’s down from 75 parts per billion, but far above the level of 60 parts per billion many environmental groups were calling for.
Ozone is the primary component in smog and typically concentrates in high population areas. It particularly affects people with asthma, children and the elderly.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Thursday, in an attempt to placate environmentalists who are frustrated by the decision, that the new standard is strong.
“This updated standard will substantially increase public health protection. There is no question about that. A level of 70 ppb will essentially eliminate exposures to the levels that clinical studies clearly show are harmful,” she said. “In addition, because a standard of 70 only allows levels as high as 70 on very few days, areas that meet the new standard will actually be below that level on almost all days.”
McCarthy added she’s positive counties will be able to meet the new standard.
“The Clean Air Act gives states plenty of time and flexibility to plan for and meet the new standards,” she said. “In fact, with rules already on the books, we expect that all but a few areas of the country will meet this standard by 2025.”
States would have between 2020 and 2037 to meet the proposed health standard. The dates for specific areas would vary based on the amount of ozone in that area. For instance, some counties in California would have attainment dates between 2032 and 2037, according to the EPA.
The agency will decide which areas are in compliance in October 2017 based on data from the previous three-year period.
According to the government, the new regulations could prevent up to 4,300 premature deaths, up to 2,300 cases of acute bronchitis in children, 4,300 asthma-related emergency room visit, 960,000 asthma attacks in children and up to 1 million missed school days for kids.
The health benefits could save the country as much as $13 billion annually if the standards are met in 2025, according to EPA estimates.
The standards will be put under the congressional microscope almost immediately. On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s environment and oversight subcommittees will hold a hearing on the new ozone regulation.
The last change in the ozone standards came in 2008 when George W. Bush’s EPA set the standard of 75 parts per billion. While many counties have made progress toward that goal, there are still parts of the country that are not meeting that standard.
Green groups met with the EPA last week and subsequently held a press conference Monday decrying the 70 parts per billion standard.
On Thursday, they reiterated their frustration with the new rules.
“It’s not good enough for our kids and all of us who want to breathe clean air. The bottom line is too many of us will still suffer under this new smog threshold,” said Anna Aurilio, head of Environment America’s Washington office. “We know this inadequate new standard was issued in the face of tremendous pressure from polluters and an increasingly hostile Congress, but that’s little consolation for our kids, the elderly and the millions of Americans with asthma.”
Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said the standards are a step in the right direction, but not enough.
“The level chosen of 70 parts per billion simply does not reflect what the science shows is necessary to truly protect public health,” he said. “Of the levels that were under consideration by the EPA, an ozone limit of 60 ppb would have given Americans much greater health protections.”
Opponents of the stricter regulations say much of the country, including some wilderness areas and national parks, won’t be able to comply with the stricter standard. They have lashed out at the costs and speculated the new standard could be the costliest regulation in history.
The EPA has estimated the costs for a 70 parts per billion standard to be about $3.9 billion annually starting in 2025.
Industry groups, such as the National Association of Manufacturers, have run television advertisements against the regulation in the weeks leading up to the announcement.
Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the group, said the rule is overly burdensome and misguided. He hinted that industry groups may have played a role in the Obama administration deciding to not impose a stricter standard.
“For months, the administration threatened to impose on manufacturers an even harsher rule, with even more devastating consequences,” he said. “After an unprecedented level of outreach by manufacturers and other stakeholders, the worst-case scenario was avoided. ”
The National Association of Manufacturers estimates the regulation could lead to the reduction of 1.4 million jobs, bring down the country’s gross domestic product by $140 billion annually and end up costing a total of $1.7 trillion by 2040.
Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said the new standards are unnecessary as the nation’s air is getting cleaner under the existing standards. He called on Congress to get involved.
“The administration ignored science by changing the standards before allowing current standards to work,” he said. “It’s time for Congress to step in and block this unnecessary and costly regulation to protect American consumers.”
