The Subcommittee on Energy and Power, chaired by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), has scheduled a hearing for Friday, June 12, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “EPA’s Proposed Ozone Rule."
The hearing will examine the EPA’s pending proposal to revise the existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone. EPA proposed the rule in November of 2014 and is expected to finalize the rule by Oct. 1, 2015. In its pending rule, EPA proposes to revise the current standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb), which the agency established in 2008 but has not yet fully implemented, to a level within the range of 65-70 ppb. The agency has also requested comment on retaining the current standard or lowering the standard to a level of 60 ppb.
“According to EPA’s own data, ozone concentrations have declined over 30 percent since 1980, and this trend will surely continue as states have just begun to implement the 2008 standard. The alarms are sounding that the proposed rule could be the most expensive regulation in EPA’s history. Our fragile economic recovery should not be jeopardized by imposing a new regulation before states and local governments have time to design and implement plans to meet the current standard. We will continue our efforts in Congress to bring to light and examine the very real economic consequences these EPA regulations could have on families and communities across America. Jobs and the economy are still job one," said Subcommittee Chairman Whitfield.as they are posted.
