E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog

• Date: January 08, 2010
• Source: www.nytimes.com

The Obama administration is making a push for tighter emission standards to control causing of smog. Driven by EPA's resolution to bring in stricter standards who have valued the Human Health Benefits at $13 billion to $100 billion by 2020 if all counties comply with the new standard. But industry expertes feel it is going to be additional cost burden to comply. The Bush administration had set the standard at 0.075 parts per million which was not well accepted by EPA scientific panel and environmental advocates who pushed for tighter standards. The new standards is likely to be set at 0.060 to 0.070 parts per million. The onus greatly falls on manufacturers, oil refineries and utilities to bear the cost of compliance.