The EPA sets unreasonable ozone standards
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Our economy is still attempting to recover; people need jobs; and businesses need to operate in an environment of predictable, reasonable requirements. Overly burdensome regulations put American business at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. They reduce investment and cost jobs.
In January 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to lower the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone from the current standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb) to a level between 60 ppb and 70 ppb. Typically reviewed on a five-year cycle, EPA is pushing forward with this new standard just three years after a previous review, despite the fact that no new data exists.
Reasonable limitations on ozone are appropriate and help to protect public health, but EPA's proposals are unreasonable and won't provide any additional benefit. The proposed standard is so low that it approaches natural background levels of ozone. Even pristine areas devoid of human activity would not meet the new standards -- Yellowstone National Park would not be in compliance!
EPA's more stringent ozone standard would be costly, unattainable and impose a severe burden on manufacturers, the economy, jobs and consumers -- both in Pennsylvania and across the United States.
Specifically, the negative effects of a decrease in the ozone standard from 75 ppb to 60 ppb would reverberate throughout the state's economy. Pennsylvania businesses and individuals could incur control costs of up to $3.2 billion and gross regional product could decline $31.4 billion by 2020. The state could also see more than 330,000 jobs lost by that same year.
Under the Clean Air Act, areas such as Pittsburgh and others that could not meet the new standards would be considered "non-attainment," a title that brings with it numerous consequences for economic development, business expansion and investment.
Under EPA's own analysis, tightening the ozone standards will cause up to 96 percent of all U.S. counties with air quality monitors to be considered in non-attainment of the standards. States will have the herculean task of developing attainment plans and control strategies for these areas at a time when many are still facing financial strain.
At a national level, a Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI study finds that EPA's ozone proposal could result in 7.3 million U.S. jobs lost by 2020 and could add $1 trillion in new regulatory costs per year between 2020 and 2030.
EPA's mission of protecting public health can and should be met with responsible requirements that are actually attainable by businesses that are trying to create new jobs. We have made remarkable strides at improving the air quality across the country. While more can be done, continued progress cannot come at the expense of much-needed jobs and job opportunities.
First Published April 19, 2011 12:00 am
