The federal government is looking at lowering the allowable limits of the damaging pollutant known as ozone. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed strict new smog standards that would roll back emission levels made during the last Bush administration.
The EPA is aiming to strengthen air quality standards nationwide by targeting the allowable levels of ozone, the main ingredient in what is commonly called smog. The new standards would bring down the allowable level of ozone to a level within the range of 0.060-0.070 parts per million (ppm). According to the standard for an 8-hour period that was set in 2008, the level is now 0.075.
According to the EPA’s proposal, the change in the rule is intended to increase protection for children and other “at risk” populations against an array of ozone-related adverse health effects. Health impacts can range from decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, to increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions for respiratory causes. Effects from ozone can also lead to death in some cases.
The final standard, which will be issued on Aug. 10, will follow a mandatory 60-day public comment period in which three public hearings will be held in Arlington, VA, Houston, and Sacramento.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) sharply criticized the proposed rule in a statement, saying that there is “absolutely no basis” for the EPA to propose the changes, and called the move a “politicization” of the air quality standard-setting process.
The API added that, “since 1990, the oil and gas industry has invested more than $175 billion towards improving the environmental performance of its products, facilities, and operations, and many of the investments in cleaner fuels will continue to improve air quality in the years ahead.”
But environmental organizations celebrated the proposed change.
“We applaud EPA’s proposal of stronger standards to protect our lungs from dirty air,” stated David Baron, attorney for the environmental legal defense organization, Earthjustice, in a press release. “These are standards that lung doctors tell us we need to make breathing safe. The law requires clean air standards to protect people’s health with a margin of safety, and the current standards don’t do that.”
The EPA, in their own statement, echoed similar concerns over health as justification for the move.
“Smog in the air we breathe poses a very serious health threat, especially to children and individuals suffering from asthma and lung disease,” stated EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in a press release. “It dirties our air, clouds our cities, and drives up our health care costs across the country.”
A pdf of the EPA’s proposed rule can be seen here: http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/pdfs/20100106fr.pdf
The EPA is aiming to strengthen air quality standards nationwide by targeting the allowable levels of ozone, the main ingredient in what is commonly called smog. The new standards would bring down the allowable level of ozone to a level within the range of 0.060-0.070 parts per million (ppm). According to the standard for an 8-hour period that was set in 2008, the level is now 0.075.
According to the EPA’s proposal, the change in the rule is intended to increase protection for children and other “at risk” populations against an array of ozone-related adverse health effects. Health impacts can range from decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, to increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions for respiratory causes. Effects from ozone can also lead to death in some cases.
The final standard, which will be issued on Aug. 10, will follow a mandatory 60-day public comment period in which three public hearings will be held in Arlington, VA, Houston, and Sacramento.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) sharply criticized the proposed rule in a statement, saying that there is “absolutely no basis” for the EPA to propose the changes, and called the move a “politicization” of the air quality standard-setting process.
The API added that, “since 1990, the oil and gas industry has invested more than $175 billion towards improving the environmental performance of its products, facilities, and operations, and many of the investments in cleaner fuels will continue to improve air quality in the years ahead.”
But environmental organizations celebrated the proposed change.
“We applaud EPA’s proposal of stronger standards to protect our lungs from dirty air,” stated David Baron, attorney for the environmental legal defense organization, Earthjustice, in a press release. “These are standards that lung doctors tell us we need to make breathing safe. The law requires clean air standards to protect people’s health with a margin of safety, and the current standards don’t do that.”
The EPA, in their own statement, echoed similar concerns over health as justification for the move.
“Smog in the air we breathe poses a very serious health threat, especially to children and individuals suffering from asthma and lung disease,” stated EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in a press release. “It dirties our air, clouds our cities, and drives up our health care costs across the country.”
A pdf of the EPA’s proposed rule can be seen here: http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/pdfs/20100106fr.pdf
