{"id":4188,"date":"2013-08-06T12:15:36","date_gmt":"2013-08-06T17:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=4188"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:04:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:04:32","slug":"d-c-circuit-court-rejects-more-protective-ozone-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2013\/08\/06\/d-c-circuit-court-rejects-more-protective-ozone-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"D.C. Circuit Court Rejects More Protective Ozone Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

(This post originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters<\/a> blog)<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written extensively about the potentially grave\u00a0health effects<\/a>\u00a0of ground-level ozone (smog) and\u00a0the need<\/a>\u00a0for stronger standards to address ozone pollution. \u00a0In 2008, the EPA set a national\u00a0standard<\/a>\u00a0for ozone at 75 parts per billion\u2014despite the fact that the nation\u2019s leading medical societies and the EPA\u2019s own\u00a0Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee<\/a>\u00a0(CASAC) warned that the standard was not stringent enough to protect Americans from adverse health effects. \u00a0A number of U.S. cities and counties petitioned the EPA to amend the standards to sufficient levels. \u00a0EDF joined the call for common-sense ozone standards, partnering with the National Resources Defense Council, American Lung Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Appalachian Mountain Club and Earthjustice to press for a more protective standard.<\/p>\n

Last week, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected\u00a0petitions<\/a>\u00a0for a more protective air quality standard for ground-level ozone. \u00a0The decision is deeply disappointing and in direct contradiction of ample scientific evidence showing the health hazards of ozone pollution at levels below the current standards.<\/p>\n

Reasonable ozone standards are of particular importance to Texans. \u00a0Ozone tends to form from vehicle tailpipe emissions on hot sunny days\u2014so it\u2019s no surprise that a typical Texas summer day is a perfect incubator for ozone gas. \u00a0Texas has some of the highest ozone levels in the nation. \u00a0The American Lung association\u00a0identified<\/a>\u00a0a number of Texas cities and counties as ozone danger areas\u2014including Houston and Dallas, two of the largest cities in the United States.<\/p>\n

Millions of Texans are exposed to dangerous ozone levels every summer. \u00a0Ozone can cause inflammation of the lungs, making breathing difficult or painful. \u00a0Increased lung irritation from ozone exacerbates asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases\u2014increasing the risk of asthma attacks and other dangerous respiratory events. \u00a0Just a short period of moderate ozone exposure can push breathing problems over the edge; a 2010 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0a 19% increase in ICU admissions on higher ozone days. \u00a0Another study published in Environmental Research Letters\u00a0linked<\/a>\u00a0short-term exposure to ozone with increased hospital emissions among the elderly. \u00a0And in Houston, researchers have\u00a0demonstrated<\/a>\u00a0a significant increase in risk of heart attacks within just a few hours of exposure to ozone.<\/p>\n

While today\u2019s decision declined to establish a reasonable, protective standard on national ozone levels, the EPA should move forward with stronger standards as it conducts its legally-required review of the 2008 standard. \u00a0There are a number of proven, cost-effective solutions to protect Americans from the dangers of smog. \u00a0The EPA should mitigate ozone pollution at the source by finalizing the \u201cTier 3\u201d tailpipe emission standards, which would have\u00a0significant benefits<\/a>\u00a0for Texans and save billions in healthcare costs going forward. \u00a0At the same time, the EPA should strengthen emissions standards for other sources of ozone like oil and gas development activities and coal-fired power plants.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 combination of steady oil and gas development, hot summers, and millions of cars on the road increases the potential for generation of harmful levels of ozone.\u00a0The Clean Air Act<\/a>\u00a0is our strongest lever to protect public health from the impacts of pollutants like ozone.\u00a0 I am confident that the latest assessment of the standard will result in a standard that better reflects the scientific literature and more adequately protects public health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(This post originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters blog) I\u2019ve written extensively about the potentially grave\u00a0health effects\u00a0of ground-level ozone (smog) and\u00a0the need\u00a0for stronger standards to address ozone pollution. \u00a0In 2008, the EPA set a national\u00a0standard\u00a0for ozone at 75 parts per billion\u2014despite the fact that the nation\u2019s leading medical societies and the EPA\u2019s own\u00a0Clean …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3523,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4017,8,44],"tags":[],"coauthors":[108061],"class_list":["post-4188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clean-air-act","category-health","category-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nD.C. 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