Chamber of Commerce files petition for review of EPA’s lower NAAQS for ground-level ozone

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently joined other business associations in challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently lowered National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, which is now 70 parts per billion (ppb).

“This new standard could halt progress in communities across the country as businesses are forced to slow expansion plans and outside development looks to other regions,” Chamber Environment, Technology and Regulatory Affairs SVP William Kovacs said. “The EPA has created a web of regulations that makes it almost impossible for businesses to succeed in this already tough economic climate.”

The chamber filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, following previous efforts to prevent the lowered standards, including a report looking at its potential effects and community outreach.

“Through no fault of their own, many communities have yet to meet EPA's 2008 ozone standard, making it almost impossible for them to realistically meet the new standard unless they make painful decisions that the public will likely not accept,” Chamber Institute for 21st Century Energy President and CEO Karen Harbert said. "Moreover, numerous areas with growing populations and high levels of background ozone simply have no means of complying, and will be unfairly punished by EPA as a result.”