WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee today released a statement following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposing requirements that would apply to state, local, and tribal air agencies for implementing the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone:

 

“I applaud the administration’s timely release of guidance for the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ground-level Ozone, however, the proposal fails to accommodate the fact that the 2008 implementation guidance was issued almost seven years after the rule was finalized,” Inhofe said. “States have made tremendous progress and continue to improve air quality, but are once again facing a new ozone standard based on questionable assumptions and the prospect of a nonattainment designation. Counties that are on the path towards compliance should not be penalized with the consequences of nonattainment which include lost investment and reduced economic expansion due to increased regulatory burdens, stiff federal penalties, lost highway dollars, restrictions on infrastructure investment and increased costs to businesses. The Environment and Public Works Committee has held three oversight hearings with regional, state and local experts expressing similar frustrations with the program. In June, the committee reviewed two commonsense bills – Senator Capito’s S. 2882 and Senator Hatch’s S. 2072 - that provide solutions to persistent problems of the NAAQS program. I hope bipartisan discussions around this important topic continue and we can finally move forward with the policy solutions that will restore balance and prioritize clean air over bureaucratic expansion.”

 

Background

 

On June 22, the EPW Committee held a hearing entitled, “Examining Pathways Towards Compliance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ground-Level Ozone: Legislative Hearing on S. 2882 and S.2072.”

 

On Sept. 29, 2015, the EPW Committee held a hearing entitled, “Economy-wide Implications of President Obama’s Air Agenda.”

 

On June 3, 2015, the EPW Committee held a hearing entitled, “Challenges and Implications of EPA’s Proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ground-Level Ozone and Legislative Hearing on S. 638, S. 751, and S. 640.”