{"id":469,"date":"2011-11-11T17:39:38","date_gmt":"2011-11-11T22:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/markets\/?p=469"},"modified":"2011-11-11T17:44:15","modified_gmt":"2011-11-11T22:44:15","slug":"more-evidence-that-the-benefits-of-epa-rules-vastly-outweigh-the-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/markets\/2011\/11\/11\/more-evidence-that-the-benefits-of-epa-rules-vastly-outweigh-the-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"More Evidence That the Benefits of EPA Rules Vastly Outweigh the Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog was originally posted on EDF’s Climate 411 blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yet another study is confirming what we\u2019ve known for quite some time \u2014 the benefits of EPA\u2019s clean air rules vastly outweigh the costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An analysis<\/a> from the Economic Policy Institute<\/a> (EPI) reinforces what other studies<\/a> have told us time and time again: clean air is a great economic investment.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that fact is often lost in the unfounded attacks on EPA that have gotten so much attention lately, in the media and even in Congress.<\/p>\n

EPI\u2019s analysis examines the combined effect of EPA rules that have already been finalized under the Obama Administration, as well as those currently in the proposal stage. It finds that:<\/p>\n

The dollar value of the benefits of the major rules finalized or proposed by the EPA so far during the Obama administration exceeds the rules\u2019 costs by an exceptionally wide margin. Health benefits in terms of lives saved and illnesses avoided will be enormous.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, the most important benefits of clean air are those related to human health. Just three of these rules (Cross-State Air Pollution (CSAPR)<\/a>, Mercury and Air Toxics<\/a>, and Boiler MACT<\/a>) are estimated to save up to 57,500 lives a year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Those lives saved, plus illnesses avoided and other environmental improvements translate to enormous economic benefits:<\/p>\n