Rather than Chase Unattainable Reductions, EPA Should Help Communities Meet the Current Standard.
On Oct. 1, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a rule that will lower the current ozone air quality standard from 75 to 70 parts per billion (ppb). Business Roundtable opposed this change, pointing out that EPA has not fully implemented the 75 ppb standard.
A smarter approach would focus resources on attaining the current standard, rather than chasing a new standard that is impossible for many areas of the country to achieve.
Learn About a Smarter Approach to Ozone Regulation
One-Page Overview of the Ozone Rule
A Short PowerPoint Presentation on the Ozone Rule
1. Focus resources on achieving more widespread attainment with the current standard.
2. Provide states with flexibility to address unique regional circumstances.
3. Modify current law to lengthen the 5-year review schedule to a more realistic 10 or more years, and allow the consideration of costs and feasibility in setting standards.
155 counties across the United States violate the current ground-level ozone standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb). Approximately one-third of the U.S. population currently lives in areas that violate the current standard. EPA analysis indicates that a tighter standard would cost the economy tens of billions of dollars per year, depending on the stringency of the final rule. Rather than forcing communities to chase unattainable reductions with one of the costliest EPA regulation ever implemented, EPA should focus on achieving the current standard.
