Link to Press Release
Washington, DC - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today welcomed news from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that not one county in Oklahoma will be designated in non-attainment by the EPA under the 2008 ozone standard. EPA will not revise the standard again until 2013. The announcement will be made official in tomorrow’s Federal Register, which can now be found here.
"I am pleased to learn today that not a single county in Oklahoma is in violation of EPA’s ozone standards,” Senator Inhofe said. “This is significant because over a dozen counties in Oklahoma faced the potential listing, and as a result, would have suffered significant economic penalties from the federal government, including potential construction bans and driving restrictions.
“This announcement is due in large part to Oklahoma’s tremendous efforts to improve air quality. It is also because of our success in Washington in stopping the most aggressive EPA in history from imposing even stricter air quality regulations that would have suffocated our economy. As the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, my focus has been on stopping President Obama’s regulatory nightmare. This is one instance where we were able to put the brakes on the Obama administration, and as a result, help protect Oklahoma’s jobs and economy.”
Earlier this year, President Obama withdrew his proposal to further tighten the ozone standard after Senator Inhofe and others showed the extreme economic burden that would have been placed on local governments for little environmental gain. To learn more, click here.
