If the rumors about the new ozone standards being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency are true, nearly half of the counties in the country will be out of compliance, according to an industry official.
Howard Feldman, senior director of regulatory and scientific affairs for the American Petroleum Institute, said Friday the scientific advisers at the EPA have recommended setting the new ozone limits at between 60 and 70 parts per billion.
Some trade publications have reported the new standard for ozone, the main component of smog, could be 68 parts per billion. If that speculation is correct, 1,433 counties in the United States will not be in compliance with the new standards, Feldman says. There are a little more than 3,000 counties in the country.
“You’re starting to affect smaller and smaller towns, many more counties across the nation,” Feldman said. “This is a very large and severe rule that could have major economic impacts and could be the most expensive regulation ever.”
The estimate on compliance was derived from the EPA’s own statistics from 2014, which were recently released.
The new National Ambient Air Quality Standards are scheduled to be released Oct. 1. The current standard for ozone is 75 parts per billion, and even under that standard, about 217 counties across the country are not in compliance with EPA regulations.
Those places, which include metropolitan areas like Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, need more time to get up to speed with current EPA standards before having to adjust to new regulations, Feldman said.
“The current standards, the strictest ever imposed, are working even though they haven’t been fully implemented,” he said. “The nation’s air is getting cleaner and will continue to improve as states implement the existing standards.”
However, the EPA believes most counties would be in compliance by 2025 without having to change much.
“EPA’s analysis of the proposed standards showed that the vast majority of U.S. counties with monitors would meet the more protective standards by 2025 just with the rules and programs now in place or underway,” the agency reported in a statement.
Agency representatives pointed out the economy has more than tripled in the last four decades while air quality has improved by 70 percent. This is evidence that environmental progress and economic growth are not mutually exclusive, according to the EPA.
EPA representatives say the standards are being tightened in order to improve public health protection, especially for children, the elderly and people with lung diseases.
“Reducing ozone pollution will reduce the number of lives lost too soon, along with asthma attacks, emergency room visits, days when children and parents miss school and work because of ozone-related illness,” the EPA said in a statement. “While, by law, EPA cannot consider costs while setting this health based standard, the agency’s estimates show that the benefits of meeting the proposed standards will significantly outweigh the costs.”
Still, Feldman left open the possibility that API could file a lawsuit to stop the EPA’s new regulations.
He said anyone looking to oppose the new standards could file a lawsuit within 60 days of when the regulations are published in the Federal Register.
“I’m sure during that time we will consider our options and then make any decision,” he said.
