In June, the U.S House of Representatives approved a bill that would delay implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2015 ozone rule. The measure, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act (H.R. 4775), adjusts the implementation timelines for the new ozone standard until 2026. It also extends the statutory review cycle for all of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards from five years to 10 years and requires EPA’s Clean Air Science Advisory Committee to provide information on the “adverse” effects on the economy of the new standards. The bill would help prevent certain areas from falling into “nonattainment,” a designation that could curtail manufacturing production and expansion.
The EPA in October 2015 tightened the surface-level ozone from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion. Some regions will have to reduce ozone to an amount below even background levels. AFS has joined the litigation challenging the regulation in federal court.
In addition, AFS sent letters to the sponsors of H.R. 4775, advocated in favor of the measure during the May AFS Government Affairs Conference, and signed on to a coalition letter with over 250 organizations which was sent to the congressional leadership. A companion bill is pending in the U.S. Senate.