The agency's needless new ozone standard could cost Americans $270 billion annually.
Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2014, by Jay Timmons(article available to subscribers only)
Excerpts:
In a town famous for inaction, Washington is gearing up to take action on a major policy issue. But there's a hitch: The outcome could be the most expensive regulation in the nation's history, possibly tanking the economy and costing jobs at a time when businesses, manufacturers and families are making a comeback.
Later this year, the Environmental Protection Agency will decide whether it should tighten the air-quality standard for ground-level ozone. There are several things about this possible new standard that are alarming.
Just a few years ago, in 2008, the EPA set ozone standards for air quality at 75 parts per billion (ppb). And just recently the second-highest court in the land held that the current standard protects public health.
Yet even before states have fully implemented the 2008 standard, the EPA is expected to propose revising it to as low as 60 ppb. In 2010, the EPA estimated that the annual compliance costs for a 60-ppb standard would be $90 billion in 2010.
However, we do know that the new ozone standard could mean shutting down, scrapping, and modifying power plants, factories heavy-duty vehicles, farm equipment, off-road vehicles and even passenger cars. Costs would be passed on to consumers, who would have thousands less to spend every year.
The new rule is likely a few months away - yet few understand how the new standard would work, or the aggressiveness of the EPA's approach.
Ground level ozone is a pollutant that can be formed from the exhaust of cars and trucks,mor from emissions of power plants, and factories. But it also occurs naturally, from plants, fires or simply ozone from the stratosphere. Some ozone travels or drifts to the U.S. from countries as far away as
China. **
Over the past three decades, better technology and a commitment on the part of manufacturing companies to reduce emissions have yielded a considerable decrease in U.S. ozone levels. Even as the economy has expanded, ground-level ozone levels have fallen by 25% since 1980.
At 60 ppb, the progress accomplished by manufacturers and states will be rendered largely irrelevant. At levels that low, even America's national parks would be in nonattainment. Under the best of conditions, the standards could be set so low that attainment in areas with no cars or industrial activity would be nearly unachievable.
Mr. Jay Timmons is the president and CEO of of the National Association of Manufacturers.
How much should Americans be impacted by pollution generated in China or elsewhere? Will curbs on transportation or manufacturing in the U.S. be effective on
local or global ozone levels (or other pollutants) when the world's largest polluters
continue their activities unabated? What is the most effective way to reduce global
pollution? Hint: It isn't shooting ourselves in the foot with crippling regulations that will hurt every segment of our society. (Read past posts on Bjorn Lomborg.)
Yet even before states have fully implemented the 2008 standard, the EPA is expected to propose revising it to as low as 60 ppb. In 2010, the EPA estimated that the annual compliance costs for a 60-ppb standard would be $90 billion in 2010.
However, we do know that the new ozone standard could mean shutting down, scrapping, and modifying power plants, factories heavy-duty vehicles, farm equipment, off-road vehicles and even passenger cars. Costs would be passed on to consumers, who would have thousands less to spend every year.
The new rule is likely a few months away - yet few understand how the new standard would work, or the aggressiveness of the EPA's approach.
Ground level ozone is a pollutant that can be formed from the exhaust of cars and trucks,mor from emissions of power plants, and factories. But it also occurs naturally, from plants, fires or simply ozone from the stratosphere. Some ozone travels or drifts to the U.S. from countries as far away as
China. **
Over the past three decades, better technology and a commitment on the part of manufacturing companies to reduce emissions have yielded a considerable decrease in U.S. ozone levels. Even as the economy has expanded, ground-level ozone levels have fallen by 25% since 1980.At 60 ppb, the progress accomplished by manufacturers and states will be rendered largely irrelevant. At levels that low, even America's national parks would be in nonattainment. Under the best of conditions, the standards could be set so low that attainment in areas with no cars or industrial activity would be nearly unachievable.
Mr. Jay Timmons is the president and CEO of of the National Association of Manufacturers.
How much should Americans be impacted by pollution generated in China or elsewhere? Will curbs on transportation or manufacturing in the U.S. be effective on
local or global ozone levels (or other pollutants) when the world's largest polluters
continue their activities unabated? What is the most effective way to reduce global
pollution? Hint: It isn't shooting ourselves in the foot with crippling regulations that will hurt every segment of our society. (Read past posts on Bjorn Lomborg.)
** Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Background and applications
Global Implications
The fast growing emissions in China lead locally to rapidly increasing NO2 concentrations, which affects the local ozone concentrations. Clearly these large increases will have severe consequences for the local air quality, but even effects on the global scale can be expected, because the lifetime of tropospheric ozone is much larger than the lifetime of NO2. Therefore, ozone can be transported over large distances by the wind. Using a chemical transport model the change in ozone due to increasing emissions in China can be calculated. The Figure below shows increasing ozone concentrations in the Northern hemisphere caused by the growing Chinese emissions in the period 1997-2005. In this period of eight years the global averaged tropospheric ozone column has increased with 0.54 %. The largest growth in tropospheric ozone we find in a plume reaching from China to the East along the direction of the prevailing winds. From the Figure we conclude that the tropospheric ozone concentrations in the entire Northern hemisphere are increased due to the growing emissions in China. These increases seem small, but are still important. In Europe, the air pollution has been increased as a result of intercontinental transport. In addition, since ozone is a strong greenhouse gas, the effects on climate change cannot be neglected.
The difference in ground-level ozone caused by the increase of
Chinese NOx emissions between 1997 and 2005.
By hook or crook, the Feds are determined to destroy our economy or so it seems.
ReplyDeleteAnd take with it our freedoms - our choices about where to live, how to get around, and in some cases, where we can go. Each piece of the puzzle is being put into place quietly, and the big picture isn't on anyone's minds. Until it's too late. The USA and its grand experiment in democracy and personal freedoms is not being defended.
ReplyDelete