Press Releases

Today, Monday, May 5, 2014 Congressman Jason Smith expressed his concerns with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to tighten National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone from the current 75 parts per billion to between 60 and 70 parts per billion. In a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Smith said the new regulations would have a detrimental impact on manufacturing, mining, farming, and construction jobs in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District.

“Across the nation, lowering the standards has the potential to detrimentally impact manufacturing, natural resources and mining, and construction jobs.  In Missouri more than 150,000 jobs in monitored counties have the potential to be affected. Many of the good-paying jobs in Missouri, and in my district, are provided by manufacturers, a sector that would be hit hard by further regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency,” wrote Smith. “Worse, areas in ‘non-attainment’ often require expensive blends of gasoline, vehicle emissions tests, and job-killing regulations that prevent businesses from expanding or even locating in a ‘non-attainment’ area.”    

Click HERE to read Smith’s letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

When the EPA considered tightening the same air standards in 2010, the estimated costs in Missouri were $1.9 billion per year. Smith said those costs will only continue to grow and he urged the EPA Administrator not to lower NAAQS levels.

“Industries impacted in Missouri collectively contribute over $25 billion dollars to our State’s GDP. As this process proceeds, I hope you will take into consideration the disastrous effects all of this new regulation will have on our country. The current NAAQS standard of 75 parts per billion should be left alone,” wrote Smith.

Ground-Level Ozone Background: Ground-level ozone is formed from the combustion of fuel from cars, power plants and other industrial plants. It can also be formed from non-manmade sources like plants, forest fires and ozone from the stratosphere migration to ground level. Ground-level ozone naturally increases in the summer.

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