Hudson, local leaders criticize new EPA rules
June 16, 2015
CONCORD, N.C. -- Local business leaders worry new ozone requirements could choke growth as communities struggle to cut emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed lowering ozone standards from 75 parts per billion (ppb) a number between 65 and 70 ppb, though the agency is taking comment on levels for the health standard as low as 60 ppb.
At 78 ppb, Cabarrus County is listed as not attaining the current ozone standard and wouldn’t meet the new standard either, according to EPA data.
The new rule “really concerns me,” said 8th District U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson, who spoke Monday at a Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce lunch at the Hilton Garden Inn in Concord. “We need to do everything we can to slow this rule down.”
Hudson cited a document provided by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that estimated 99 of North Carolina’s 100 counties would fail to meet a 60 ppb standard.
States must create plans to mitigate ground-level ozone in non-attainment areas. They can lead to higher taxes and fees, though specific impacts aren’t clear.
API claims the state will lose $150 billion from 2017 to 2040 and 127,360 jobs or job equivalents per year.
“It’s crazy,” Hudson said. “To me it underscores the need to do things differently in Washington.”
Chamber President Patrick Coughlin added Charlotte is growing, but “there are some things happening at the federal level that may really hamper our ability to create jobs in this region.”
Hudson said he thinks President Obama is trying to “get the regulations out the door” before his term ends.
“We’ve got to raise awareness,” he said. “The people have to know what their government’s doing.”
Coughlin added businesses already are getting greener, and reductions in pollution are leading to better health outcomes.
“Businesses in the market are already addressing problems before they’re problems,” he said. “This new regulation is creating a problem.”
Hudson asked for people to contact his office with stories of how the EPA rules could affect them. He said Congress may try to defund the EPA’s ability to enforce the new rule, which will be finalized by Oct. 1.
Ground-level ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight, according to airnow.gov.
Ozone at ground level can damage lung tissue, especially in children and other sensitive groups.
The EPA projects the vast majority of U.S. counties would meet the proposed standards by 2025 just with the rules and programs now in place or underway.
EPA estimates that reducing pollution to meet the standards in 2025 will yield annual health benefits of $6.4 to $13 billion annually for a standard of 70 ppb, and $19 to $38 billion annually for a standard of 65 ppb, except for California.
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