WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.), the Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule that will lower the ground level ozone standard to 70 parts per billion:
“The EPA’s ozone rule will slow down economic development across Indiana. Under this tighter standard, the EPA could more than double the amount of counties in Indiana subject to burdensome restrictions and costly red tape. States and counties across the nation are still working to meet the current standard, and the administration should focus on helping states and communities achieve these existing standards before changing the rules.”
Last week, Coats urged the Obama Administration to change course from its proposed standard before releasing a final ground-level ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
Coats, along with 27 other senators, cosponsored The Clean Air, Strong Economies Act of 2015, legislation that would ensure substantial compliance with current ozone standards before the EPA would be able to revise and impose more stringent standards and costs. The bill also would rein in procedures that downplay costs and artificially inflate the benefit of EPA rules.
