"the Obama Administration is allowing ozone standards that are worse than George Bush's"

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Sat Sep-03-11 03:59 PM
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"the Obama Administration is allowing ozone standards that are worse than George Bush's"

Capitulation on Ozone Much Worse When You Learn the Context
By: David Dayen
September 2, 2011

So consider what we have here. A bunch of enviro groups were ready to sue over ozone standards. The Obama Administration came in and said �don�t worry, we agree with you, we have the authority, we�ll impose the higher standards you want.� Then they waited for two years, and finally, they punted. It�s a total sellout and a de-fanging of the enviro groups who wanted to go to court to get the rules changed.

As a result, the 2008 rules promulgated by the Bush Administration won�t be implemented either; the EPA already directed states not to comply with them. So most states are operating under the objectively worse 1997 standards. And that is expected to continue. So the Obama Administration is allowing, for his entire first term, ozone standards that are worse than George Bush�s.

The environmental groups, which haven�t exactly been vocal opponents of this President, feel completely betrayed. And this is the second betrayal in a week. Remember, climate activists are getting arrested in front of the White House on a daily basis over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and the State Department just released a whitewash environmental review of the project.

UPDATE: The American Lung Association will reopen their lawsuit against the government over the ozone standards. Of course, this comes two years too late for those suffering and dying from heightened smog levels.

Read the full article at:

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/09/02/capitulation-on-ozone-much-worse-when-you-learn-the-context/

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Obama to Breathers: Sorry, Wait Until 2013
By Kate Sheppard
September 2, 2011

The American Lung Association filed suit against the EPA following the weak Bush standards but dropped it after the Obama administration said it was going to reconsider. The group issued a statement on Friday signaling that it will revive the suit now that the Obama administration has signaled that it is not going to improve the standard, which is a violation of the Clean Air Act, the group says.

My two cents: I don't think it's a coincidence that the announcement came on day when the Labor Department released the worst jobs report in 11 months. The move certainly plays right into the "jobs vs. the environment" frame that the opponents of any and all regulations have constructed. Worse, though, is that it feeds the idea that it's perfectly okay for the administration to ignore the advice of agency scientists.

It's also not clear whom Obama thinks he's going to win over with this. I'm pretty sure this won't send the American Petroleum Institute or the Chamber of Commerce rushing to donate to his reelection bid, or make Republicans start saying nice things about him.

Read the full article at:

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/09/obama-breathers-sorry-wait-until-2013

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PRESS RELEASE

President Obama�s Failure to Update Ozone Standard Outrageous
Washington, D.C. (September 2, 2011)

President Obama announced today that he would not update the 2008 ozone standard.

�For two years the Administration dragged its feet by delaying its decision, unnecessarily putting lives at risk. Its final decision not to enact a more protective ozone health standard is jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans, which is inexcusable,� said Charles D. Connor, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. �The American Lung Association now intends to revive its participation in litigation with the Administration, which was suspended following numerous assurances that the Administration was going to complete this reconsideration and obey the law. We had gone to court because the Bush Administration failed to follow the law and set a protective health standard.�

�The ozone standard set in 1997 at 84 ppb is currently being implemented. The American Lung Association demands at minimum, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states must move forward to implement the 75 ppb standard as it will provide more protection than the 14-year-old standard,� said Connor.

The EPA�s nearly two-year-long �reconsideration� of the ozone standard determined that the 2008 standard, set at 75 ppb by the Bush Administration, failed to protect public health, failed to follow the scientific community�s recommendations, and was legally indefensible. Furthermore, in reconsidering the 2008 decision, EPA had to limit its review to reconsider the science about ozone as it stood in 2006. Evidence accumulating since 2006 shows that ozone is harmful at levels well below the current.

By choosing to ignore the recommendations of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), the President is failing to follow the nation�s landmark air pollution law, the Clean Air Act, and therefore failing to protect public health, particularly those most at risk including children, older people, and people who suffer from chronic lung diseases. For these people, breathing smog-polluted air can lead to coughing and wheezing, restricted airways, hospitalization and even death. Even healthy young adults and people who exercise or work outdoors can suffer from high levels of ozone pollution.

�A new smog standard would have saved lives and resulted in fewer people getting sick,� said Albert A. Rizzo, MD, National Volunteer Chair of the American Lung Association and pulmonary and critical care physician in Newark, Delaware. �The Administration should have set a standard at 60 ppb as advised by the American Lung Association and other medical societies and health groups. Its failure to do so will severely jeopardize public health,� continued Dr. Rizzo.

An American Lung Association bipartisan poll of likely 2012 voters taken in June 2011 found that an overwhelming majority support the EPA�s efforts to strengthen rules on ozone-causing pollution. The poll found that 75 percent of voters support stricter limits on ozone and that 72 percent oppose efforts by Congress to stop EPA from updating ozone standards. The poll also found that 65 percent of the voters do not agree with the industry�s claim that the stricter smog standard will impact jobs. In fact, 54 percent rightly believe that a new standard will create jobs through innovation.

�The benefits to our economic and physical health of a stricter smog standard are without question,� continued Connor. �While polluters continue to argue against health standards by repeating archaic, long-disproved claims about economic harm, the American people know better. The Obama Administration undoubtedly should not have delayed and failed to implement a new standard to help communities achieve clean air.�

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About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is �Fighting for Air� through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity and holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.LungUSA.org.

http://www.lungusa.org/press-room/press-releases/failure-to-update-ozone-standard-outrageous.html