This week, ATS members testified at an Environmental Protection Agency public hearing in support of the agency’s “Good Neighbor” regulations – a program that requires “upwind states” to reduce air pollution that crosses state borders to pollute the air of neighboring “downwind states.”  For many states, particularly those on the East Coast, much of the air pollution comes from out of state sources.   The Good Neighbor currently requires over 20 states to reduce emissions at point sources to reduce downwind pollution.  EPA is proposing to expand ozone emissions reductions under the Good Neighbor plan to five additional states, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and New Mexico. 

At the hearing, ATS member Jared Radbel MD summarized the adverse health effects of ozone.  “Ozone exposure has critical health implications even before birth, with in utero exposure linked to increased risks of preterm birth and low birth weights. Post-birth, prolonged exposure to high ozone levels is associated with hindered lung development. From childhood through adulthood, ozone exposure exacerbates pulmonary diseases, contributing to the onset of asthma and the frequency of asthma attacks, many of which require hospitalization.”

As ATS member Kevin Cromar PhD noted in his comments, “Many states have already done all they can to meet federal ozone requirements and largely blame upwind emissions for their attainment challenges.  The good neighbor provision provides much needed relief to downwind states and also shows that there are still numerous, cost-effective measures available for upwind states to reduce ozone pollution emissions.”