[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 1997

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on November 27, 1996, the 
Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] proposed new air quality 
regulations that will have an enormous impact on Colorado. These new 
standards increase the regulation of ozone and airborne particulate 
levels and are backed by dubious science which will carry enormous 
costs for businesses and taxpayers.
  The new standards will be difficult and perhaps impossible to meet in 
many areas. The ozone standards will change from .12 to .08 parts per 
million. That means there will be less than one ozone molecule in every 
10 million air molecules. The EPA rule for particulate matter size--
essentially soot--poses additional problems. These new standards will 
set levels for particles of a size down to 2.5 microns. In comparison, 
the width of a human hair is 70 microns--28 times as wide.
  EPA's focus in the development of these rules appears to have been on 
the Midwest and the Eastern United States. For example, when EPA last 
revised the particulate matter standards, they relied upon health 
effects studies primarily conducted in the Eastern United States. 
However, upon implementation the vast majority of the nonattainment 
areas were in the West. When impacts on the West are not appropriately 
addressed early in the process, the end result has been an unfair 
regulatory burden on the West.
  Everyone wants cleaner air. However, there is no scientific 
foundation for these extreme regulations. Very little is actually known 
about the health effects of such low levels of ozone and particulates 
or whether there are any health effects at all. At first, the EPA 
claimed the new standards would save 20,000 lives a year. The agency 
then revised the figure to 15,000. EPA, however, has refused to release 
the data on which those estimates are based. Independent researchers 
say they cannot substantiate EPA's health claims on currently available 
data.
  The costs are easier to establish. These standards will radically 
alter the way we live. The EPA has estimated that as much as half of 
the U.S. population will have to limit the use of automobiles, 
lawnmowers, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, and even barbecue grills. 
These regulations will suppress economic growth and job creation 
throughout Colorado. The President's own Council of Economic Advisers 
has estimated the costs of the new regulations to be between $11.6 and 
$60 billion per year, compared to benefits totaling between $200 
million and $1 billion per year. Even the EPA's own calculations--which 
only estimate partial costs--show that the regulations' cost outweigh 
their benefit.
  Air quality is improving nationwide even without new regulations. All 
six air pollutants tracked by EPA have shown dramatic improvements 
since 1975. Air particulates are down 24 percent, sulfur dioxide down 
50 percent, carbon monoxide down 53 percent, ozone down 25 percent, 
nitrogen dioxide down 24 percent, and lead down 94 percent. In recent 
testimony before the House Commerce Committee, EPA Administrator Carol 
Browner stated that air quality will continue to improve substantially 
even without the new regulations. Full implementation of the 
regulations should be delayed until more of our questions can be 
answered.

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