WASHINGTON (May 23, 2017) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in advance of today’s legislative hearing entitled, “Making Implementation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ground-Level Ozone Attainable.” The Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety will examine S. 263 and S. 452.
“We welcome today’s hearing on the ‘Ozone Standards Implementation Act,’ and the ‘Ozone Regulatory Delay and Extension of Assessment Length Act.’ These bills would update and improve the implementation process for EPA ozone standards, helping to ensure that manufacturers who want to invest and hire in the U.S. can obtain regulatory permits in a timely and efficient manner. We commend Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) for their leadership.
“Before manufacturing facilities can proceed with a new construction or expansion project, they must obtain regulatory approval -- a complicated task when localities are forced to comply with two different ozone standards concurrently. In the past, EPA has failed to provide necessary implementation rules and guidance in a timely manner, leaving facilities and state permitting agencies in limbo. The confusion and delays that can result can put new investment and jobs at risk.
“The ‘Ozone Standards Implementation Act’ will help. It sets a ten-year cycle for NAAQS reviews, provides regulatory certainty by streamlining preconstruction permitting and extends the compliance date for meeting the 2015 standards to 2025. Such reforms will support continued air quality improvement without compromising American manufacturing growth.
“The ‘Ozone Regulatory Delay and Extension of Assessment Length (ORDEAL) Act’ will give EPA more time to review and revise national ambient air quality standards, including the 2015 Ozone NAAQS, ensuring a more predictable regulatory environment for state agencies and businesses alike.”