Achieving Clean Air in Common Sense, Flexible and Affordable Ways

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FACT SHEET

June 25, 1997

Achieving Clean Air in Common Sense, Flexible and Affordable Ways

Although the law requires EPA to set air quality standards that, above all, protect the public health, the agency has developed a plan for affordably meeting the new standards through common sense measures. Along with any final standards for ozone and particulate matter, EPA will issue an implementation package designed to give states, local governments and business the new flexibility they'll need to meet protective public health standards in a reasonable, cost-effective way.

Implementing the Ozone Standard

AVOID NON-COMPLIANCE "STIGMA" -- EPA will create a new "transitional" classification for areas in which anticipated regional measures will provide the bulk of the needed ozone reductions -- this will avoid burdensome new local planning requirements and restrictions on economic growth for these areas.
FOCUS ON UTILITY EMISSIONS -- EPA will work from a regional plan developed collectively by 37 states over the last two years to address the long-distance transport of ozone. This plan focuses on major power plants (which offer the most cost-effective opportunities for reducing pollution) to reduce nitrogen oxide, a key ingredient of smog. These reductions alone should be enough to allow most of the newly non-attainment counties to be able to comply with the new standard.
DELIVER CLEAN AIR FASTER -- By participating in the regional ozone reduction plan, counties that are not in compliance with the new standard will quickly achieve significant reductions in their ozone levels.
ALLOW MORE TIME TO COMPLY -- No county would have to comply fully with the new ozone standard by achieving local pollution controls until at least 2004, with no compliance determination required until at least 2007.

Implementing the Standard for Particulate Matter

ENSURE STRONG SCIENCE FOR IMPLEMENTATION -- In order to ensure that implementation continues to reflect the best current science, EPA would complete another full scientific review of the health effects of fine particulates before any "non-attainment" designations would be made or local controls mandated.
ALLOW TIME TO ESTABLISH PROGRAM -- Because the new standard would regulate fine particulates for the first time, EPA will allow five years to build a nationwide monitoring network, and to gather and analyze the data needed to designate areas and develop implementation plans.
PROVIDE A REASONABLE TIMETABLE FOR COMPLIANCE -- Once it has the data, EPA would use its discretion under the Clean Air Act to allow another three years for areas that aren't in compliance to submit air quality plans on how they'll meet the new standard, a year-and-a-half for review of these plans, and several more years for many areas to actually comply with the new standard. This will give business additional time to find the most cost-effective pollution controls.
GIVE CREDIT FOR REDUCTIONS UNDER 1990 CLEAN AIR ACT -- No areas will be designated as non-attainment if they will eventually meet the new particulate matter standard based on their reductions in sulfate emissions (which contain particulate matter) that are already required by the 1990 Clean Air Act acid rain provisions. These will take effect in the year 2000.

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EPA's 1997 Decision on Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards