Manchin Condemns EPA Ozone Rule That Will Hurt Economy
Rule would increase energy prices, curb job growth and hinder economic opportunities by setting the ground-level ozone standard at an unrealistically low level
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today strongly criticized the ground-level ozone rule released today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rule, which lowers the ground level ozone standard from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion, would increase energy prices, curb job growth and hinder economic opportunities by setting the standard at an unrealistically low level.
“I’ve always said we need to strike a balance between the environment and the economy. This rule fails to strike that balance and would have a devastating impact on our economy,” Senator Manchin said. “Lowering the ozone standard would cost states billions of dollars and thousands of good-paying jobs. We need the EPA and our federal government to work with us as allies, not as adversaries who continually impose burdensome regulations and then move the goalposts before we even have a chance to comply. I urge my colleagues to take immediate action on the CASE Act to rein in this harmful rule.”
Earlier this year, Senator Manchin and Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced legislation to block the EPA from implementing tighter ground-level ozone standards. The bill, The Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE) Act, would stem the economic harm from an impractical ozone standard by requiring the EPA to focus on the worst areas for air quality before lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone across the country.
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