SEMCOG Says Stricter Regulations for Ozone Standards Are Not Needed
SEMCOG asks EPA to keep the current national ozone standards.
Officials with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments are asking the US Environmental Protection Agency to maintain current national ozone standards. The Council wrote a letter to the EPA saying stricter regulations could hurt industries economically without achieving any additional environmental benefits.
Air Quality Specialist Joan Weidner says industries are already adapting to tougher air quality regulations.
“We have to meet a standard by 2020 and possibly invoke programs like vehicle emission testing and other things that overtime have shown not to be very effective,” Weidner says. “So we’re saying because you’re going to get this benefit, we know ozone is going to go down anyway. Why do we need to essentially change the standard and bring along all these other unintended consequences?”
Weidner says the EPA should reveal its decision by October.
