[5]U.S. Chamber of Commerce [6]
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten issued the following statement praising House passage of the “Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016”:
“This common-sense legislation will help bring regulatory relief to the business community and state and local governments. We have serious concerns with the potential adverse impacts of the EPA’s 2015 ozone standards, particularly with respect to economic development and job creation in communities across the country. States and businesses are burdened even further because the EPA is forcing states to implement the 2015 ozone standards while they are still working to comply with the 2008 standards. The ‘Ozone Standards Implementation Act’ also would extend the current, unrealistic review period for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program from five to ten years, which would help ease some of the burden on local communities, states, and industry.
“Failing to address the difficulties of implementing the 2015 ozone standards, and the NAAQS program generally, has real-world implications for businesses, which can stunt economic and employment growth. We urge the Senate to take up the companion legislation and address these NAAQS program issues with practical and common-sense solutions.”
The Chamber sent a Key Vote letter regarding the “Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016,” which is available here [7]. Last year, the Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy issued a series of reports entitled “Grinding to a Halt [8]” which detail the potential impacts of new ozone standards on transportation projects in major metro areas.