House Passes Bill to Delay EPA Ozone Rule
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 234-177 on June 8 to postpone implementation of the Obama administration’s more stringent 2015 ozone regulations by at least eight years.
But the bill’s prospects beyond the House are unclear. The Senate is unlikely to pass a comparable bill, and President Obama has threatened to veto the measure if it reaches his desk.
The bill’s supporters, which include construction groups such as the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, say that counties across the U.S. are having trouble meeting the existing ozone standard that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established in 2008 and that the new standard would put most counties in the nation into non-attainment status. ARTBA and others say that new construction projects and development would be restricted in any areas that are deemed out-of-attainment.
EPA finalized the updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone in October 2015.
The rule tightens permissible levels of ground level ozone—smog—to 70 parts per billion (ppb) over an eight-hour period from 75 ppb. EPA says that its tougher 2015 standard will help save lives and reduce asthma attacks in regions with heavy air pollution.
Public health and environmental advocates had advocated a 65 ppb standard, but EPA ultimately settled on 70 ppb.
Business and industry groups contend that counties are just starting to implement plans to meet the 2008 standard of 75 ppb. EPA did not release the guidelines for implementing the 2008 air quality standards until March 2015.
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The House bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas), called his legislation a “common-sense” measure that would give states and counties more time to comply with the new regulations.
In a statement released shortly after the vote, Olson said, “My bill provides needed flexibility so that states and localities can adequately achieve new, lower standards with time for compliance.”
If the ozone regulations are not delayed, some states and localities would face preliminary deadlines this fall, although the compliance dates for the 2015 standards will be phased in. States and localities will have until 2037 to fully meet the new standards.
