New Smog Standards Set to be Proposed Today

Long overdue, the Environmental Protection Agency is today slated to propose a new ambient air quality standard for ozone. The proposal already has industry kicking and screaming, crying that if we actually take steps to fully protect our health--like that of the 89,000 children in Colorado suffering from asthma--this country will "shut down." Not likely.

Our hope is that the agency adopts a stronger standard, like one that limits ozone to no more than 60 parts per billion over an eight hour period, instead of the current standard of 80. This is, after all, a public health decision and nothing more. Why shouldn't the EPA adopt the strongest measures for our health?

Will the EPA follow through? We'll see.