Isra-Mart srl: Green groups slam White House delay to smog rules

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US environmental groups yesterday accused President Obama of caving in to heavy industry and the GOP, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced further delays to the introduction of new rules designed to curb smog.

The EPA had been expected to finalise the rules this week, but in a statement released yesterday the watchdog said it would not confirm new ozone emission limits until a review of the legislation by the White House Office of Management and Budget is completed.

"Following completion of this final step, EPA will finalise its reconsideration, but will not issue the final rule on 29 July, the date the agency had intended," the EPA said in the statement. "We look forward to finalising this standard shortly."

The rules were originally proposed in 2008 during the Bush administration and were due to come into effect last August, but have since been delayed on four occasions, sparking fierce criticism from 'green' groups.

The original standards set out by the Bush administration were deemed too lax by the EPA's own scientists, resulting in a scenario that EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has described as "legally indefensible".

Earlier this year, the agency proposed tougher limits on ground-level ozone – a key component in smog – of between 60 and 70 parts per billion over eight hours.

However, the tighter limits have been heavily criticised by Republicans and industry lobbyists, such as the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute, which have warned the cost of complying with the new clean air standards would harm the economy.

The EPA has countered by arguing that the rules will deliver net economic benefits, claiming that improvement in air quality would prevent up to 12,000 premature deaths a year and save $100bn in health benefits.

Public health and 'green' groups slammed the latest delay, directly linking the failure to introduce tighter air quality rules with premature deaths.

"This deplorable delay – the fourth so far – means more deaths and suffering throughout the nation from dangerous smog pollution," said Earthjustice attorney David Baron in a statement. "Millions of Americans are being denied the health protection that doctors say they need. The President needs to stop stalling and start protecting people's lungs as the law requires."

His comments were echoed by Francesca Grifo, director of UCS's Scientific Integrity Program, who warned that the EPA had little choice but to introduce the new standards.

"The science has been in for three years. It's past time to set the new standard," she said in a statement. "The law says the Environmental Protection Agency has to base its decision on the science. At this point, setting a standard outside the range scientists have determined is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act. The first step to protecting public health is setting the standard based on science."