April 2016

Last week the ATS joined other medical and health organization on a letter opposing House legislation H.R. 4775 – the Ozone Standards Implementation Act.  While the bill title implies reform of the ozone standard, the bill is quite sweeping in scope and would actually weaken and delay the EPA's authority to regulate several types of pollution, including carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide.

Under current law, the EPA is required to review the science on the health impacts of carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide air pollutants every five years and update these national ambient air quality standards according to the current science. H.R.4775 would lengthen the review period of the air pollution health standards from once every 5 years to once every 10 years for all criteria pollutants.  This would significantly delay the EPA's efforts to improve air quality in the U.S.

Also under the current law, the EPA is directed to set the standard for ozone and other criteria pollutants at a level to protect public health, regardless of the cost.  After the standard is set, the EPA and the states may consider costs and feasibility in determining how to attain the standard.  H.R. 4775 would invert the process by including costs in the initial step of standard setting – effectively putting the protection of public health as secondary to industry costs.

The ATS and our partners in the medical and public health community will continue to oppose H.R. 4775 and other legislative efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act.