Manufacturers are pitching a new ad Thursday in an eleventh-hour bid to get the White House to back off its new, more stringent rules for smog.
The National Association of Manufacturers’ new ad says both Democrats and Republicans agree the ozone rules are unnecessary and shouldn’t be finalized Oct. 1. That group and several others, including the Chamber of Commerce, call the regulation the costliest in history.
“With air quality the best it’s been in decades and still improving, bipartisan leaders across the United States agree now is not the time for a new ozone rule,” said the group’s CEO Jay Timmons in a statement.
The rules would cut the current ozone standard of 75 parts per billion to as low as 65, which NAM and business groups say would undercut development of new energy resources such as natural gas, while adversely impacting new infrastructure and highways.
“It makes no sense to move forward with a regulation that will punish hardworking manufacturers. Now more than ever, we need the administration to listen to our nation’s manufacturers and keep the current standard,” Timmons said.
The ad campaign has been going on for several weeks, as industry anticipates the rule being finalized by the administration next week.
The White House is holding a number of meetings this week and next to hear from business groups, environmentalists and others with a stake in the rules. From the number of meetings, it would appear the White House is rushing to meet the Oct. 1 deadline, which the Environmental Protection Agency is under court order to meet.
