API comment further on EPA’s new PM rule

Howard Feldman, API Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs has commented on the EPA’s new PM standards, saying that they will increase costs and are not justified given existing standards are working.

Comments

‘EPA’s new rule is unnecessary and could drive up costs for new and expanding businesses trying to hire employees. There is no compelling scientific evidence for the policy decision to develop more stringent standards. The existing standards are working and will continue improving air quality.

‘We fear this new rule may be just the beginning of a regulatory cliff that includes forthcoming ozone rules, the refinery sector rules, pending greenhouse gas regulations for refineries, and the delayed boiler MACT rules. The collective impacts of these and other potential new regulations at a time when 12 million Americans are still unemployed would be a blow to our economy as it struggles to recover and put Americans back to work. It makes no sense to risk economic harm when the public health necessity of these regulations is ambiguous at best.

‘With the control measures being implemented under the current regulations, we could expect to reduce particulate pollution by more than 20% in the next couple of years, and make steady progress further reducing the number of Americans living in areas exceeding the current standards.

‘Additionally, we question the validity of the regulatory impact analysis EPA used to justify this rule. API strongly encourages the administration to release all of the scientific data that EPA has used in its review. Open access to the underlying data will provide transparency so the public can see the lack of certainty underlying these standards.’

Adapted from Press release by Claira Lloyd.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/17122012/api-call-epas-new-pm-rule-unnecessary_349/