EPA Sets Stricter Smog Standards

On January 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the strictest health standards to date for reducing smog.

Under the proposal, the EPA would set the standard at a level between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million (ppm). The current standard of 0.075 ppm was set in 2008. The stricter standard will focus on protecting public health as well as protecting the environment.

If the new standard is set at 0.060 ppm, the EPA indicated that more than twice the 322 counties that violate current federal ozone standards would fail to comply.

The EPA said that the tougher standard would save lives and reduce respiratory illness, but some businesses said the change would impose new costs on employers and consumers. Some businesses said the new standards could lead to unnecessary energy-cost increases and job losses at larger facilities and small businesses.

The new smog standard could compel power plants, refineries, gas stations and other businesses to take action to reduce the emissions of chemicals that contribute to smog. The standards could also lead to new restrictions on construction, farming and other activities that contribute to ground-level ozone, a primary cause of smog. The EPA estimated that the costs associated with the new standards could range between $19 billion and $90 billion annually.

On the other hand, the EPA estimated that the new standard would save the U.S. $13 billion to $100 billion annually in health-related expenses. EPA officials said the new standard would mean fewer visits to the emergency room for children with asthma and longer lives for people with chronic lung disease.

The EPA plans to issue final standards by the end of August. Once a new standard is set, the EPA will issue rules for its implementation. States will have to submit plans to the EPA providing suggestions and methods as to how they will try to reduce ozone to the legal level. In North Texas, those state plans typically include a range of steps from voluntary ones such as state incentives for replacing dirty diesel engines to mandatory ones such as limits on industrial emissions.

With over 70% of harmful emissions in North Texas generated by mobile sources, programs such as the Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) and Low-Income Vehicle Repair Assistance, Retrofit, and Accelerated Vehicle Retirement Program (LIRAP) are important components of the Clean Air Plan created to demonstrate our region’s compliance with federal air quality standards. TERP and LIRAP provide voluntary incentives for businesses and individuals to operate cleaner equipment and vehicles and, therefore, improve air quality.

The EPA’s proposed revisions to the standard have been published in the federal register. The comment period for the proposal closes on March 22, 2010.

For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone or contact Meredith Armstrong at marmstrong@dallaschamber.org.