| The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Jan. 8--The U.S. EPA proposed the strictest-ever smog limits yesterday, effectively putting 32 Ohio counties -- Franklin, Delaware, Knox, Licking and Madison among them -- on notice to cut air pollution. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS The Environmental Protection Agency's action set aside limits proposed under President George W. Bush in 2008. Critics had said that plan ignored scientific recommendations calling for cleaner air. "Using the best science to strengthen these standards is a long overdue action that will help millions of Americans breathe easier and live healthier", U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a release. The plan was blasted by Ohio business leaders, who noted that the EPA's own estimates show the proposed pollution reductions would increase costs as much as $90 billion a year by 2020, hurting job and business growth nationwide. "In today's economy, we need reasonable regulations that allow our economy to thrive and grow", said Jennifer Klein, environmental policy director for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Environmentalists said any costs to businesses would be outweighed by as much as $100 billion in annual public-health benefits by 2020, which the EPA claims would grow from decreased medical bills and fewer premature deaths. "The ultimate goal here is to maximize the public-health benefits", said David Celebrezze of the Ohio Environmental Council. Ohio EPA officials, who would take the lead on any pollution-reducing plans, were mum yesterday. Spokeswoman Heidi Griesmer said the agency will file comments on the plan within a U.S. EPA-set 60-day deadline. "I don't know yet what the substance of those comments will be", Griesmer said. The state has until December 2013 to come up with a plan to reduce pollution in counties that don't meet the new standards. Options to cut smog include tighter pollution limits on industries as well as requiring cleaner-burning, more-expensive gasoline in the summertime. Mandatory vehicle exhaust-pipe tests, known as e-checks, also are an option. Smog forms on hot, windless days when the sun cooks pollutants from cars, trucks, factories and power plants. It irritates lung tissue and helps trigger asthma attacks. This isn't the first time central Ohio has faced federal mandates to cut smog. Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Knox, Licking and Madison counties all failed to meet a 1997 standard for ground-level ozone, a key ingredient of smog. In September, the U.S. EPA announced the air in those counties finally met the 1997 standard, which limited ozone to no more than 84 parts per billion. Health studies have since found that smog poses a health threat at lower concentrations. In 2008, the Bush EPA proposed a limit of 75 parts per billion. Environmental and health advocacy groups sued the federal government, arguing that the Bush proposal ignored the advice of the EPA's own scientists. The U.S. EPA's new recommendation mirrors the scientists'. It proposes to reduce ozone to between 60 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion. In all, 32 Ohio counties and 99 U.S. counties would fail to meet the least-stringent proposed standard of 70 parts per billion. At 60 parts, the number of failing Ohio counties would stay the same, but nationwide, it would grow to 203 counties. The EPA will set a final limit at least two months from now after it allows for public comment. shunt@dispatch.com
To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. A service of YellowBrix, Inc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related News Topics:
News of Ohio
News of Delaware
Top U.S. news
|
