TCEQ statement on today's EPA ozone action

The State of Texas has argued for years that the previous standards were protective of the environment and human health and there was no compelling scientific reason to revise that standard. We're glad the Obama administration finally agrees with this position and has put a halt to this job-killing proposal.

The decision seems to recognize that current science does not justify further tightening of the ozone standards to protect public health. Indeed, it may even signal a realization that the consequences of a bad economy, such as joblessness and poverty, have negative public health effects.

The administration’s actions leave many questions unanswered about how states can move forward with the existing standards, including designations for existing attainment areas and requirements for state planning purposes. The EPA needs to act quickly to clarify these issues and questions in order to bring certainty to the public and states as well as the regulated community.

We would hope that this signals that the EPA is beginning to consider science and common sense in their decisions, and we would hope that they would apply this to other regulations such as the proposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which will result in rolling blackouts and job losses here in Texas as well as in other states.