Us Administration Being Pressured To Water Down Pollution Curbs

The US administration came under congressional pressure on Wednesday to scale down its plans for much tougher air pollution controls as the gloves came off in an emotional fight between environmentalists and industry. Senator John Chafee, the environment committee chairman, who has hitherto been a moderate supporter of green causes, said full implementation could prove unworkable and discredit the 1990 Clean Air Act, which has underpinned the drive against pollution.

But Carol Browner, director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has insisted the health of millions will be affected by her plan to enforce tighter limits on ozone and particulate matter or soot.

 

The EPA is required to announce the new standards by the summer under the terms of a court order obtained by the American Lung Association.

Browner told a Senate hearing yesterday that EPA proposals for a new ozone standard -cutting the permitted level to 0.08 parts per million measured over eight hours from 0.12 measured over one hour would double to 100 million the number of people adequately protected from that pollutant. At least 13 million beneficiaries would be children.

In a debate, opponents of tighter standards have suggested that homely American pastimes such as mowing the lawn and barbecues could be outlawed as local authorities look for ways to meet virtually impossible standards.

The EPA says that the new standards are justified by the latest research on public health, which is the only criterion that the agency is mandated to consider, and the change would also have economic benefits that far outweigh the cost. Lobby groups for the oil, mining, steel and other manufacturing sectors have made a two-pronged reply: in the case of ozone, the health benefits are clearly outweighed by the cost and on soot, whose apparent health effects are much worse, the scientific research is inconclusive.

For soot, a cost benefit analysis by the EPA has valued the improvement in public health at up to $120 billion (