On January 7, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the strictest health standards to date for ground-level ozone aka “smog.”
The agency is proposing to replace the Bush-administration’s 2008 standard of 0.075 parts per million with a new “primary standard” between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million measured over eight hours.
In EPA parlance a “primary standard” is a pollution limit designed to mitigate adverse health effects, while a “secondary standard” is a pollution limit designed to mitigate adverse environmental effects such as damage to property, plants, visibility, etc.
The proposed 0.060 – 0.070 ppm standard might have a devastating effect on Oklahoma industry. For example, according to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s most recent “Air Quality Update,” while all of the Oklahoma ozone monitoring sites met the current 0.075 ppm standard in 2009, ozone monitoring sites in the Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Lawton exceeded an ozone level of 0.065 ppm, and several exceeded 0.070 ppm. For more details on the 2009 ozone averages in Oklahoma, please visit: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/AQDnew/newsletters/Dec09/Dec09.html#ozone
In addition to setting a new 8-hour ozone “primary standard”, EPA is also proposing to set a separate seasonal “secondary standard.” The seasonal standard is designed to protect plants and trees from damage occurring from repeated ozone exposure, which can reduce tree growth, damage leaves, and increase susceptibility to disease.
EPA estimates that the costs of implementing this proposal will range from $19 billion to $90 billion.
EPA will take public comment for 60 days after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold three public hearings on the proposal: Feb. 2, 2010, in Arlington, Va. and in Houston, TX; and Feb. 4, 2010, in Sacramento, CA.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone and
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/D70B9C433C46FAA3852576A40058B1D4
Posted on
Thursday, January 7, 2010
by Ivan L. London