Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100

Victory: EPA Will Implement Ozone/Smog Rule

The Trump Administration and EPA has decided to move forward with the Obama administration’s smog pollution rule.This decision comes after Sierra Club, who lead the case, 15 states, not including New Jersey, and other groups sued Trump’s blocking of the rule. After the pressure from the lawsuits, the EPA backed down. Ground level ozone is one of the worst air pollutants with one of the sources being car emissions. Air pollution can cause asthma attacks and put people with heart problems, lung problems or children at risk. The 2015 regulation set the allowable ozone level in air at 70 parts per billion, down from the 75 parts per billion set in 2008. Air pollution not only has significant health impacts, but it is an irritant for people at risk it. This can actually cause asthma attacks sending people to the hospital. It is also linked to premature death through heart attacks.

“In our first regulatory win against Trump’s attacks, the EPA says it will no longer block the smog rule. The environment and clean air won because we stood up and fought the Trump Administration’s rollbacks. We have this major victory because so many groups and states sued and the EPA backed down. They knew they were going to lose the case and had no merit to rollback these standards. Now we will see less dirty air causing asthma attacks and major health impacts like premature death,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We need this rule because smog is widespread air pollutant, especially in New Jersey when ozone pollution levels are high. Smog pollution is particularly harmful to children and people with asthma as well as causes cardiovascular harm. Sierra Club and 15 state Attorney Generals sued against the Trump Administration’s delay of this rule, but where was Governor Christie? Our Governor is clearly more concerned about special interests and polluters than our public health.”

In June, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried to illegally delay the implementation of the 2015 smog pollution standard by one year. He had originally sued against the rule as Oklahoma Attorney General. Smog pollution from power plants and vehicle emissions trigger respiratory problems like asthma and cardiovascular problems; over time, exposure can lead to premature death. We supported a stronger 60 ppb standard that would shield communities, especially young children and the elderly, from these health hazards, will save billions of dollars in economic benefits from health improvements, and will help lift the burden of pollution off American communities. Areas across the country with high levels of zone have 30% higher rate of death from lung disease. The main sources are from industrial plants and cars.

“This is a big victory because the Trump Administration is stepping down from their abuse of power and arrogance that threatens people’s lungs. This rule helps New Jersey more than most states since we are at the end of the air stream and get a third of our air pollution from out of state. Smog pollution is dangerous because when people inhale smog it is like getting a sunburn on your lungs. In New Jersey, we needed this rule because we are seeing more and earlier bad ozone days making it harder for people to breathe. This is because of the failure to clean up pollution and fight climate change. Almost every county that conducts monitoring has a failing grade for ozone,” said Jeff Tittel. “In New Jersey, we need this standard because it threatens us from more toxic pollution from other states in the Mid-West and Pennsylvania. Most of our air pollution comes from mobile sources like cars so it is important that we keep trying to reduce the dangers of dirty air.”

In 2012, the Christie administration backed out of the ground level ozone lawsuit that affected the health of children, people with asthma, elderly, and those with repository illnesses. It not only has significant health impacts, but it is an irritant for people at risk it which can actually cause asthma attacks sending people to the hospitals. It is also linked to premature death through heart attacks or asthma attacks.

“Instead of promoting policies to clean our air, the Christie Administration has cause more Bad Air Days and dangerous smog. They are not only looking the other way at smog pollution, but catering to Trump and the oil and gas industry by not standing up against the delay of the smog rules. This is part of the Administration blocking electric vehicles, building new gas fired power plants, pulling out of RGGI, and denying the science of climate change have made it tougher for all of us breathe. Instead of moving forward with green jobs that will boost our economy, our Governor has caused us to have dirty air and more health problems” said Tittel.

In April, the State of the Air report was released by the American Lung Association. It states that 4 out of 10 people in the United States do not have healthy levels of ozone (smog) or particle (soot) pollution. In Mercer, Monmouth, Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Ocean Counties the county received an F for Ozone and have had dozens of High Alert Ozone Days that risk public health. Burlington and Somerset County’s air was not monitored, but it is likely an F given nearby county grades. Every year, this report examines air pollution levels and shows the need to defend the Clean Air Act. Some cities in the report got worse, however, citing spikes in particle pollution and high smog days as a result of climate change. Newark and Camden also were rated with some of the worst polluted cities in the nation.

“It is important that we keep standing up to the Fossil Fool in the White House because we will keep winning against Trump. First they tried to gut protections for methane pollution and lost, now the Trump Administration is backing down from rolling back smog pollution protections. The President and our Governor have clearly worked to dismantle clean air protections, but now we were able to stop them,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We need strong rules to reduce smog pollution because New Jersey suffers from ground level ozone and there are too many children with asthma. The Administration may try to repeal the smog rule later, but we will keep standing up to resist Trump and his anti-environment agenda.”