AGC Welcomes Decision to Delay New National Ozone Standards

On Sept. 2, 2011, the president announced that the administration will delay promulgation of new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.  In his statement, the president said that economic concerns and efforts to reduce regulatory burdens and uncertainty led to his decision to delay the new standard until at least 2013.  AGC welcomed the decision having asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to wait on moving forward with new standards until 2013 when the agency is scheduled to finish its next review of the most current science on ozone.  AGC urged the EPA not to tighten the 2008 ozone standards in a letter last spring.  In the letter, AGC pointed out that the EPA’s proposed range would greatly increase the stringency of the ozone standards again when current implementation steps are just beginning, including new emission restrictions and controls affect businesses and consumers at a time when the economy is still recovering and unemployment remains high.  The letter argues that any change in the ozone standards must be “requisite” to protect human health or welfare and based on a review of updated scientific information.  AGC’s letter also points out that the range under consideration in unlawful because there is no new scientific evidence to justify strengthening the standards. AGC’s letter continues, outlining the direct and indirect impacts of tighter ozone standards.  Directly, AGC contractors purchase and use heavy equipment that may be impacted by federal, state, and/or local emissions control strategies selected to achieve the ozone standards.  Indirectly, AGC contractors are impacted by transportation conformity and general conformity decisions that impact growth, development, and infrastructure improvement. For more background on the impact of EPA’s ozone standards on AGC members, click here. AGC will continue to follow EPA’s review of the science on ozone and reconsideration of the standards. For more information, contact Karen Lapsevic at (202)547-4733 or lapsevick@agc.org.