US Environment Scientists Urge Tougher Smog Rules
Date: 31-Jan-07
Country: US
Dropping the level of ozone allowed in the air would offer health benefits for asthmatic children and others with lung disease, as well as for healthy children and adults, the scientists said in a staff paper.
The current standard permits 0.08 parts per million of ozone, while the EPA scientists proposed a level between 0.06 and "somewhat below" 0.08 parts per million, according to the paper.
Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which shields the Earth from damaging ultra-violet rays, ground-level ozone causes problems, especially for those with asthma and other lung ailments.
Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, said the scientists' recommendation would go into the crafting of a proposed rule this summer, with a final rule expected in 2008.
Wehrum said the scientists' recommendations were not at odds with President Bush's call for increased use of alternative fuels like ethanol to cut down on US gasoline use.
In a telephone interview, Wehrum acknowledged the possibility that producing ethanol could cause a minimal increase in the amount of the compounds that contribute to forming ground-level ozone.
But he said the expected environmental, health and national security benefits to be derived from increased use of ethanol would be considered in any final rule.
Frank O'Donnell of the environmental group Clean Air Watch hailed the move as "a milestone" in the policy-making process, calling the standard for smog "the heart and lungs of the Clean Air Act."
Dan Riedinger of the Edison Electric Institute, which represents the electric power industry, said tighter smog standards would be a challenge for state and local governments.
"Overall, power plants contribute about 10 percent of emissions associated with ozone in the United States," Riedinger said in a statement. "Regulators will have to look long and hard at all emissions, large and small, if EPA further tightens the standard."